Field Day:  Weather permitting, Field Day will be held on April 27 in place of regular classes for all grade levels. More information about Field Day will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.

Terra Nova Achievement Testing. Our new achievement tests have arrived, but they arrived quite a bit later than we were expecting. Therefore, we have postponed achievement test week until April 16-19.

Elementary:

Terra Nova.  Achievement tests will be taking place Monday – Thursday mornings the week of April 16 for NCA elementary students.  Please help your children by making sure that they have plenty of sleep and a good breakfast each day of the testing.  The 1st through 6th elementary students will be testing each morning prior to recess.  If a student has been ill, make-ups will be provided in the late mornings or afternoons.

Lice Check. Rolanda Friesen, the NCA school nurse, will be doing a lice check of the elementary students on Friday, March 30.

Jr. & Sr. High: 

Terra Nova.  Grade 7-11 achievement testing will take place April 17-19. The adjusted schedule for both days is posted on the bulletin board outside the High School Office.

Field Day Practice. On the afternoons of April 18, 23, & 25 there will be field day preparation time for all students in Grades 9-12! The schedule will be somewhat adjusted on those days as well for Grades 7-12. This schedule will also be posted in the hallways of the high school.

Course Selection Forms (2011-12). Course selection forms were handed out to Grade 8-11 students at the end of Term 3. All students who are enrolling in high school next year should turn in their course selection forms by April 15. If you have questions about how to fill these out, please contact the high school office.

Families going on home assignment during the 2012-13 school year are strongly encouraged to check with the high school office before departing to get recommendations for courses while on furlough. Remember that if you are planning on home-schooling high school (Grade 9-12) courses while on furlough you will need to work with an agency that will issue credit on a transcript. A Beka, Hewitt High School, NorthStar, Keystone, and NDCDE are all agencies that have been used in the past. More information is available at the high school office.

Field Day.  Field Day has been tentatively scheduled for April 27 during Term 4.

Flea Market.  The Student Council will be hosting a flea market April 14. More information will be coming from the Student Council on this in Term 4.

March 7, the end of term 3, will be a regular length school day (no early dismissal).

Term Dates 2012-13. For your planning purposes, here are the school dates for next year (assuming no delays in the start of school J):

• (W) JUL 25, 2012     –     (W) SEPT 19, 2012            Term 1 (8 wks)
• (W) OCT 10, 2012     –     (W) DEC 12, 2012              Term 2 (9 wks)
• (W) JAN 9, 2013       –    (W) MAR 13, 2013              Term 3 (9 wks)
• (W) APR 3, 2013      –     (W) MAY 29, 2013              Term 4 (8 wks)

Elementary:

Elementary Music Program presented by students in Grades 1 – 6 this Friday, March 2, at 7:00 p.m. in the gym. Everyone is invited to attend!

Elementary Assembly on March 6 at 8:00 a.m. in the conference dining hall.  The students in Kindergarten, Grade 2, and Grades 4/5 will be sharing with us.

Jr. & Sr. High: 

2012-13 Course Selection forms will be distributed to Grade 8-11 students at chapel on March 6. (Note this is only for students attending NCA in 2012-13.) Please read the information on the forms and complete the required information with your child. If you have any questions on course selection, please contact the high school office. We would ask that you return these forms by April 15.

 Provincial Tournament.  The EHSSSA has scheduled the provincial tournament during our school break on March 16; therefore, this Friday will be a regular school day. The boys basketball team will be representing NCA on that day.

Grade 7-9 Event hosted by Student Council will take place this Saturday March 3 at 6 p.m. at the gymnasium and conference kitchen. Come enjoy dinner and games!

 SAT on May 5.  In 2012, NCA will be hosting the SAT college entry exam on May 5 as well as later in November. You should register online for the SAT at sat.collegeboard.com. Please register for the May exam by March 27. For more information, contact Neil Burleson at the high school.

General Information:

Transitions! We are pleased to have David and Janet Kronbach from Barnabas, Intl, join us later this month for several MK Transitions seminars. In addition to their work with our high school students, the Kronbachs will be conducting two seminars for parents as well. Here are the details:

• Feb 21. 7 p.m. Conference Dining Area. Transitions issues for parents of children of all ages
• Feb 23. 7 p.m. Conference Dining Area. Transitions issues for parents of HS Juniors and Seniors

Parents, we would strongly encourage you to mark these dates on your calendar and attend the appropriate seminar(s). We believe that you will find the information that David and Janet will be sharing extremely valuable.

Tournament Dates. NCA is hoping to host an invitational tournament on February 25. We are also thinking that a Provincial Tournament will be held on March 2 at NSI. However, these dates will not be confirmed until the EHSSA Sportsmasters meeting later this month. We will inform you of any changes to these plans as soon as we are able.

Grade 9 and Provincial Tournaments. During last Saturday’s NCA School Committee meeting, one of the items that was discussed was Grade 9 status for provincial tournaments. The policy has been that unless over 50% of the 9th grade students are on the varsity teams, school will continue for Grade 9. The NCASC has decided to change this policy. Grade 9 will now be dismissed along with Grades 10-12 for provincial tournaments regardless of the percentage of Grade 9 students on the teams.

Faculty In-service: Monday, February 13 is a half-day staff in-service. Students will be dismissed at lunch, and there will be no school in the afternoon. High school will hold periods

Elementary:

Games Night: Friday, February 10 is Games Night

• Grades 1 & 2 Gym 7:00 – 8:00
• Grades 3 & 4 Sports Complex * 7:00 – 8:15
• Grades 5 & 6 Conference Dining Hall 7:00 – 8:30

*If it is raining then the gym will be shared with Grades 1 & 2 and Grades 3 & 4.

Reading Festival continues through to February 7. Come to the Elementary Assembly on Feb. 7 at 8:00 am and see the Living Book Reports from the kindergarten class and grades 1 and 3.

High School:

SEW Billing. Because it takes some time for charges to settle in the account, SEW billing is somewhat delayed from the actual event. The good news is that our costs were actually somewhat under our projections. High school students ended up being about $115/ea and junior high students around $25/each. We did not want you to be surprised when you saw this charge on your statement/invoice. Thank you.

SAT on May 5. In 2012, NCA will be hosting the SAT college entry exam in May as well as in November. You should register online for the SAT at sat.collegeboard.com. The registration deadline for the May exam is April 6. However, we would recommend you registering well in advance of the deadline. For more information, contact Neil Burleson at the high school.

Happy New Year!

Elementary News:

Reading Festival – Reading Festival begins January 24 and ends February 6. Information regarding the specific activities will be coming home with the students. This is a fun time for the students and an opportunity for you to get involved. We can use some volunteer help during Reading Festival, especially during recess (from 10:10 – 10:30) when the students are busy in the library with various projects. Another area you can help is by being a “Mystery Reader” for a classroom. If you can help in the library or by being a Mystery Reader, please contact Audrey Marples or phone 576. Thanks!

Assembly – You won’t want to miss the assembly on January 24th at 8:00 a.m. when grades 2, 4/5, and 6 will be presenting their Living Book Reports.

Lice Check – On Friday, January 13th the school nurse will be checking the elementary students for lice. A note will come home with your child if you need to treat for lice.

Spiritual Goal – Our spiritual goal to start off the new calendar year is “Show Respect – For God, People, and Things”. This is a good reminder for all of us and we will be reminding the students of this at school. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. (I Peter 2:17) Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31)

Jr. & Sr. High:

Home Economics. A home economics class will be offered during period 6 in Semester 2. This will be available to Grade 11 & 12 students on a space available basis.

 Adding or dropping courses. Grade 9-12 students may now add or drop courses for second semester. The “add” deadline is Thursday, January 12th at 4 p.m. The “drop” deadline is Tuesday, January 31 at 4 p.m. Students are required to carry 6 credits for the year (including correspondence courses).

 Items Left Outside. Over the past semester, there have been a large number of items routinely left outside on the picnic tables overnight, some of them personal and some of them school property. Unfortunately, repeated reminders to our students have not been effective at curbing this problem. Because of the high cost of replacing instruments, textbooks, etc., effective this semester, any items that belong to the school (textbooks, calculators, instruments, etc.) that are left outside after hours will be held in the office and subject to a K5 fine and then returned to the student. Items that belong to students are not subject to the fine, and will continue to be put in the lost and found or held in the office (in the case of valuables, eye glasses, etc.) Please remind your kids to keep track of the items for which they are responsible. Thanks.

 Post-High School planning meeting. A Post-HS planning meeting is scheduled for January 19 at 7 p.m., in room M3 (note the date change). The primary focus of this meeting is college / university entrance considerations. While we strongly encourage all 11th grade students (and their parents) to attend, anyone is welcome, particularly 10th grade students (or parents) who want to get a head start on college preparations.

General Information:

NCA Drama Class will be putting on a Christmas play Friday, December 2 at 7 pm in the gymnasium.

NCA Staff Retreat. Just a reminder: the staff retreat was moved from its original date in September to November 11-12. There will be no school on November 11.

In-service November 14th A teacher in-service is scheduled for Nov. 14. School will dismiss at lunch. Grades 7-12 will have periods 1-3 and 6-7 on that day.

Travel Assistance Fund. We would like to remind you that last year the NCA School Committee set up a travel assistance fund to financially assist families who face significant travel expenses to send their children to NCA (i.e., boarding students). This fund is being used by some of our families and is available for donations for those who would like to contribute. If you are interested in this giving opportunity or would like more information, contact Neil or Scott at the high school office. Thank you for your consideration.

Elementary:

Mid-Marking Period ends November 9. Some of the elementary classes will be having Parent/Teacher Conferences November 14 – 18. Your child’s teacher will be contacting you if this is the case.

Elementary Assembly. The next Elementary Assembly is scheduled for November 22 at 8:00 a.m. Our current spiritual goal is “Diligence”. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24.

Jr. & Sr. High:

SAT. The SAT will be held on Saturday, November 5 at the high school from 8:00am until 12:45pm. Students should arrive at 7:45 am and bring their admission document, a calculator, and at least two soft-lead pencils. Snacks or drinks (including water) are not allowed in the testing area. (They can be left at the side of the room for consumption during the breaks.) Lapilo residents, please be mindful of noise in the vicinity of the high school (including the sports field) during this time. If you have any questions, please contact Neil at the high school. Thank you.

Tournaments. The EHSSA Tournament will be held on November 25 at NSI in Goroka. Grades 10-12 are dismissed from school on this day. Grade 7-9 classes will continue as normal. In addition, an Invitational tournament will be held at NCA on Saturday, November 19. If you have any questions, contact Scott Sasaki at the high school office.

Sadie Hawkins postponed. In order to make room on the calendar for the Invitational tournament, the NCA Student Council has postponed Sadie Hawkins until January 14.

General Information:

Skate Night Oct 15. The junior class will be hosting a skate night in the gym on Oct 15. Come and enjoy an evening of food and fun!

Elementary:

Assembly. Our next assembly will be October 25 at 8:00 am in the conference kitchen.

Scholastic Book Orders. Please return your book order slips to the elementary library by October 14 if you wish to purchase books at this time. You can also place your order online. Contact Renee Cox if you have any questions.

Lice check and Vision screening. A lice check and vision screening will take place on Friday, October 14 for Kindergarten through Grade 6. A notice will come home with your child if you need to treat for lice or if there are concerns about your child’s vision.

Jr. & Sr. High:

Spiritual Emphasis Weekend (SEW). Spiritual Emphasis Weekend (SEW) for 2011 will be held for Grade 9-12 students on Oct 20-23 at the Interface facility. Jr High (Grade 7 & 8 ) SEW will be Oct 21, 22 here at Lapilo. More SEW information will be distributed to students directly in the days before SEW. Please watch for this information to be coming home with your kids. Exact SEW fees will be set after the final costs are tabulated, but for your planning purposes, Grade 9-12 fees generally run around $120 per student and Grade 7-8 fees should be around $40 per student. We are looking forward to seeing the Lord work in our kids’ hearts again this year! Your prayers for the weekend are appreciated!

PSAT. As already mentioned, the PSAT test (for 11th and some 10th grade students) will be held on Wednesday morning, October 12. Students will meet at 7:45 a.m. in the Conference Kitchen. The test will last approximately 3½ hours. Students should plan on rejoining class during 4th period following a short break after the test. Students should bring pencils, calculator, SSN (U.S. Citizens), their home mailing address as well as an e-mail address if they would like to receive College Board information on various colleges and universities via e-mail. Contact the HS Office if you have further questions.

SAT. The SAT will be held on November 5th at the school from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. There will be another SAT exam in May here at NCA. If you have further questions, please call the high school office.

General Information:

In-service September 5. School will be dismissed at lunch on Monday, September 5 for teacher in-service.

 Independence Day. NCA’s Independence Day festivities will occur on Friday, September 16. A schedule of the day’s events will be distributed in a few days by the Student Council. We look forward to seeing you there!

 Last Day of Term 1 – Sept 21. Term 1 ends on September 21. This is a full day of school, not a half-day.

 Elementary:

Parent/Teacher Conferences. Some teachers will be having parent/teacher conferences in the next week or two (after mid-marking grades are sent out). Other teachers may be having their conferences during the middle of term 2. You are welcome to meet with the teacher at any time to talk about your child’s progress in school.

 Spiritual Goal. Our spiritual goal for the next month is to “Be Gracious” – treating others with kindness, favor, and showing mercy.

 Games Night – September 2. All students in Grades 1 – 6 are welcome to come to Games Night on Friday night, September 2nd. Grades 1 and 2 will meet in the conference dining hall from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Grades 3 and 4 will meet in the gym from 7:00 – 8:15 p.m. Grades 5 and 6 will meet at the sports complex from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

 Jr. & Sr. High:

PSAT. The PSAT test will be held for all Grade 11 students (it is open to but optional for Grade 10 students) on Wednesday, October 12. There is a small charge for this test (around $15 USD per student). The test prepares students for the SAT exam, and juniors who are U.S. Citizens are also automatically enrolled in the National Merit Scholarship Competition. If you would like more information about the PSAT and the National Merit Scholarship Program, call the high school office at 531-4570.

 SAT. The SAT will be held at NCA on November 5. (This is not the Stanford Achievement Test, but the college entry test taken by high school juniors and seniors.) All juniors and seniors should consider registering for this test. The deadline for on-line registration is October 7. Registering for the test can most easily be done online at sat.collegeboard.com. If this is not feasible, or if you have any other questions, please call Neil at the high school office. The SAT will be offered again at NCA on May 7.

Spiritual Emphasis Weekend (SEW). NCA’s annual Spiritual Emphasis Weekend (SEW) for 2011 will be held for Grade 9-12 students on October 20-23. Jr. High ( Grade 7 & 8 ) SEW will be October 21-22 here at Lapilo. We are excited to have a team from Adelaide led by NCA alum Seth Emery coming to run our program this year. We are looking forward to seeing the Lord work in our kids’ hearts again. Your prayers for the weekend are appreciated!