New Century Presents "Into the Woods" - Spring Musical

NEW CENTURY CHARTER SCHOOL ANNOUNCES IT’S
SIXTH ANNUAL THEATRE PRODUCTION
“Into the Woods”
music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
and book by James Lapine

The students of New Century Charter School in Hutchinson, MN are presenting the musical “Into the Woods” at the Maplewood Academy Auditorium on Thursday, February 26th and Saturday, February 28th at 7:00 PM, and Sunday, March 1st at 2:00 PM.
“Into the Woods”, produced and directed by Sheila Hendricks & Terry Kempfert is starring 35 local 7th – 12th grade students. Inspired by Bruno Bettelheim's 1976 book, The Uses of Enchantment, the musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales and follows them further to explore the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. The main characters are taken from the stories of Little Red Ridinghood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella, tied together by a more original story involving a Baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family, most likely taken from the original story of Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm. It also includes references to several other well-known tales.
Production of this sixth-annual theatrical experience for the school will not only challenge students’ drama and musical skills but also incorporate many additional roles in the design and creation of sets, costumes, props, lighting, sound, and additional tasks involved in producing a musical of this type.
Doors will open at 6:15 PM on performance nights and 1:15 PM on Sunday. Location is changed this year and all performances will be held at the Maplewood Academy, 700 Main St. N. in Hutchinson, MN. Tickets are available beginning February 9th at New Century Charter School, 1000 5th Ave SE. For more information please call the school at 234-3660.

Finance Award

New Century Charter School was recently awarded the Minnesota Department of Education Finance Award once again. This is given in recognition of having achieved excellence in financial oversight of the school's public funding. The criteria include a positive fund balance, responding to all state mandated reports in a timely manner, publicly reporting all financial statements and procedures in place that provide for responsible oversight of the school's finances. The NCCS board of directors deserves recognition for their commitment to responsible spending of public funds in the operation of the school.

Audit

At the December NCCS board meeting, the CPA from Larson-Allen presented the 2008 audit. He praised the NCCS board for their strong financial oversight which took the projected fund balance from approximately 62,000 at the end of 2007 to 92,000 at the end of 2008. This was done with much attention to spending and constant monitoring of the approved budget. He also commented on the projected spending being well within the recommended ratio of amount budgeted to amount spent. This was all done within the context of moving from projected deficit spending in October 2007 to increasing the fund balance by June 2008. 

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!