Teachers Licensed

There has been much bad press about charter schools recently. It seems that some charter schools have taken it upon themselves to determine which state rules and statutes to follow. A recent report by KSTP has unearthed many charter schools around the state that are operating with unlicensed teachers. We at NCCS are following state statutes on teacher licensure, and all of our teachers either are fully licensed for their subjects or have received the appropriate variance or special permission from the Board of Teaching to be in the classroom.

E-term Next Week

Our Fall e-term experience runs from November 17 - 21. Students may choose from over 30 seminars - half day or full day to enrich their learning experience. Options include Recreational Skating, Paper Crafts, T-Zone Recycled t-shirts, Furry Frenzy knitting, Doodles v.2 (art), Hybrid Craft Projects, Wall Mural painting, Dancin' through the Decades, Basketball & Fitness fun, Fleece Hat-making, A Healthier You, Exploring the Twilight Zone, Environmental Science, Statistics, Tickets, Please - Humphry Bogart Seminar, Odds n Ends Construction, and Milton Bradley 101.

Our students look forward to these week-long experiences 3 times per year - they learn skills and concepts not found in everyday school work. Instructors enjoy the variety as well. Stop by and see all that's going on - you may learn something new!!

We're Here!

Greetings everyone!

We are getting settled into our new school! It's good to be here. The advisory space keeps 'morphing' a bit, but the kids seem to know where to go and are settling into their studies. Please watch for information coming about our upcoming events.

We will be hosting a community Open House on Thursday, October 2nd from 4:30 - 8 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6 PM. Please stop by!

Help needed to complete our move

Greetings Family and Friends!

The semi showed up at NCCS on Tuesday and was almost filled by night's end. Now we need your help to move the remaining goods! Please gather friends, family, all the pickups and trailers you can find, and report to New Century on Friday, August 1st at 8:00 AM. We will be moving items all day so come when you can.

We will then need all hands on deck on Monday, August 4 to unload the semi. Please report to the new school at 1000 5th Avenue SE.

The school looks great - plenty roomy with big windows and fresh paint, carpet and tile! It will be exciting to see the kids adapt to their new home.

Thank you so much to all that have helped to this point - and to Laurie McCleskey for taking charge as our moving coordinator!

Moving to the New School

Our new school on 5th Avenue is very close to being ready for occupancy. We are planning to move the weekend of August 1 -3. We will need every able-bodied person within range to help us with this monumental task!

If you are willing, able, and possibly have a large vehicle - please contact Laurie McCleskey at 320-864-3231 (mccleskey@embarqmail.com) to volunteer your services!

Our present school is packed up and ready to go! It looks like a bit of a war zone, with everything in boxes, torn apart, and littering the hallways - a little bit like the "forgotten toy", but we are grateful for this place we have called home for the last 6 years - it has served us well.

We look forward to co-habiting with our Montessori friends - we will be sharing the new school with this K - 6 group. It will provide friendship and great opportunities to share resources and give our students ways to collaborate.

Stay tuned - and don't forget to volunteer!

The new school

Work is coming along quickly now that the weather is cooperating. The concrete has been poured on the NCCS side and the inside stud walls are going up. The electricians arrive soon and then the sheet-rockers. To be present when the workers are going about their business gives one the sense of progress being made, as there is a constant flutter of activity and noise. The rooms look like they will be a nice size and the windows in the classrooms, albeit small, will be a nice addition. It seems as if there are many decisions to be made, and now that they are working quickly, these quite often need to be made before another worker arrives. It is truly an exciting time for NCCS as we anticipate this move.

Senior Projects

We had our first round of senior presentations on Tuesday evening. There was great variety as seen in presentations on theatre, small business building, animal rights, dairy farming, rock bands and more. This is truly the essence of our project based curriculum where students have the opportunity to explore in depth something which has grabbed and captivated them in their school career. There was also evidence of significant preparation among all of the presenters. This is another tribute to the students who took this charge seriously and came ready with a capstone project. This is the first full year of implementation of senior projects, and the faculty has been taking copious notes in order to implement changes that will make these even stronger in years to come.