January 2023 NDS Notice
Happy New Year!
A message from Mrs. Lisa Ervin, NDS Interim Director
Welcome to 2023! I am very excited to be taking the position of Interim Director of New Dimensions Charter School. Currently, I am the Exceptional Children’s Director and have been working at NDS since January, 2021. I have over 30 years of experience in education as both a teacher and school administrator. I look forward to working with the parents, staff, board members and the students to continue to grow our school. Please feel free to contact me at any time.
January is School Board Appreciation Month, and the New Dimensions Charter School wants to say, “thank you” to all our board members who do so much for our school. New Dimensions is represented by eleven dedicated board members who devote countless hours to make sure our students are served in the best way possible. The board members are true advocates for the students of New Dimensions, developing policies and making decisions that help shape the future of our school. Our school board oversees more than 530 students, 76 employees, and an annual budget of over $4,000,000. I am proud to work with our board, and I congratulate them on their excellent leadership and vision for the students of New Dimensions.
Open enrollment at New Dimensions begins on Monday, January 2 and ends on Thursday, March 30 at 4 p.m. Applications for the up-coming year will be posted on our website and will be available at the school beginning on January 2. Just give us a call (828-437-5753) or email me at lervin@ndschool.org if you have questions about our school.
At the end of the enrollment period, it will be determined if there are more applications than spaces available for each grade. If the number of applicants for a particular grade does not exceed the number of available spaces for that grade level, all students who have applied by the deadline will be accepted. If the number of applicants for a particular grade level exceeds available spaces for that grade level, a lottery system will determine admission eligibility. The lottery for New Dimensions will be held on Friday, March 31, 2023. The time is yet to be determined. Students who are not offered enrollment will be placed on a wait list. After all spaces for a grade level are filled, the lottery will continue until all applying students have been assigned a priority number on the wait list. The wait list will not carry into the next school year.
As parents and guardians, the decision about where our children go to school is an important one. With the availability of charter schools, parents and guardians have more choices about their child’s education than ever before.
We are excited about the future of New Dimensions and look forward to working with our Warrior Families and community to support all of our students.
Sincerely yours,
Lisa Ervin
Interim Director
NDS OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD: JANUARY 2 - MARCH 31
New Dimensions Charter School Open Enrollment period for the 2023-2024 school year begins Monday, January 2 and ends Friday, March 31. Please share information with all prospective families you know who may be interested in enrolling. NDS enrollment applications for the 2023-2024 school year can be found at the link below and are also available at the school. All students currently enrolled have a spot for next year. Campus tours will be available by calling the school at 828-437-5753 to request a date and time. Interested families can also email Lisa Ervin at lervin@ndschool.org or Misty Dillingham at mdillingham@ndschool.org if you have questions about our school.
A message from Mrs. Regina Rhodes, NDS Board Chair
Hello Warrior Families,
As we enter into 2023, the NDS Board of Directors would like to wish you a Happy New Year. We also wanted to inform you of the interim plan while we undergo the process of finding a new director for New Dimensions.
Beginning Jan 1, Lisa Ervin will assume the role of Interim Director. Ms. Ervin brings a wealth of knowledge and currently serves as the EC Director at New Dimensions, as well as previous experience as a Middle School Principal.
New Dimensions will continue to provide students with the best educational experience and build on our strong foundation during this transitional period.
We want to thank you for your continued support and please know that we are here to support the school. You may reach Ms. Ervin at lervin@ndschool.org.
Thank you,
Regina Rhodes
New Dimensions: A Public Charter School
Board Chair
SCHOOL BOARD APPRECIATION MONTH
The New Dimensions School will notify all parents through our all-call system with a phone call, email and text in the event of school closings or early dismissal. Local and regional news media will be notified as well. In addition, the school website - ndschool.org will have a notification banner of any and all closings, and NDS social media will be updated with all closing information. NDS does not always follow the plan of the surrounding school districts; however, the YMCA schedule for before and after school care will follow the NDS plan. If you have questions concerning severe weather situations, call the school at (828) 437-5753.
P.E/Clubs/Sports & Athletic Boosters
Information coming soon!
Thank you,
Coach Brooks
Scripps National Spelling Bee
This year, we will use the Scripps National Spelling Bee’s online testing platform to hold our grade-level spelling bees via an online spelling test.
The first step to spelling bee participation for your child is registering for the online testing
platform by visiting https://online-test.spellingbee.com. Once students are registered, they will receive the spelling bee words to study. We encourage you to watch the video tutorial at the link below. The video will walk you through the registration process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ThKRsffiFc
The student from each grade level with the highest score will move on to compete at the school-level bee. Our grade-level competition will be administered via online at school on Wednesday, February 1. Winners will be announced February 2. Winners from the grade level competition will move forward to the school-level competition to be held on Tuesday, February 7 beginning at 8:30 a.m. There will be a live Zoom streaming the school-wide bee.
Our school champion will then move on to represent New Dimensions Charter School in the next level of the district bee and the Carolina Panthers Regional Spelling Bee presented by Bank of America. Those competitions may include online tests in lieu of in-person spelling bee events.
Please email Mrs. Teresa Higdon (thigdon@ndschool.org) should you have any questions.
Find Scripps Spelling Bee on Facebook to access study resources:
Daughters of the American Revolution American History Essay Contest
Students in grades 5-8 across the nation were recently given the opportunity to participate in the annual American History Essay Contest sponsored by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). For the 2022-2023 contest year, New Dimensions had several students who participated. Students were given a topic prompt and essays were judged for historical accuracy, adherence to the topic, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and neatness.
Participating chapters, such as the Burke County chapter, send one winning essay from each of the four grades for judging on the state level. We are excited to announce the 8th grade winner chosen by the local DAR chapter, our very own Layton Brittain. Congratulations, Layton!!
NDS Apparel
New Dimensions Charter School partners with Big Bear Sports to offer you NDS logo apparel and other products. You can order NDS logo items and NDS athletic logo items at any time using the apparel order. Order forms can also be found on the NDS website - https://www.ndschool.org/parent-student-info and/or picked up at the school.
Ordering Window and delivery dates for turning in forms:
01/02/23 - 01/13/23 with projected deliver on 1/27/23
1/30/23 - 2/10/23 with projected deliver on 2/24/23
2/27/23 - 3/10/23 with projected deliver on 3/31/23
3/20/23 - 3/31/23 with projected deliver on 4/06/23
4/17/23 - 4/28/23 with projected deliver on 5/12/23
NDS Lunch Orders - February 2023
NC Smile Program
Smile Programs ... the mobile dentists is the nation’s largest mobile in-school dental program servicing nearly 500,000 children annually. The mission of Smile Programs is to improve oral health for children who may not regularly see a dentist while simultaneously making it
easy and convenient for parents.
New Dimensions will host the annual Smile Program at our school on Tuesday, January 24. More information will be sent home in mid-January. Additionally, you can register your student(s) in advance at the following link: https://www.myschooldentist.com/Default.aspx
If you have any questions prior to the program date, please contact NDS Nurse, Terra Hartmann at thartmann@ndschool.org or by phone at 828.437.5753.
Warrior Wednesdays
January Icee Day
NDS STEM
New Dimensions Science Olympiad students will be participating in the Science Olympiad Regional Competition on March 11 at Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC). There are approximately 30 students representing NDS at the competition. Good luck, Warriors!
January 2023 Events
Monday, January 2 - Return to school
Monday, January 2 - Open Enrollment begins
Wednesday, January 4 - Warrior Wednesday
Thursday, January 5 - 2nd grade Greek Day
Friday, January 6 - 2nd Grade field trip
Wednesday, January 11 - Warrior Wednesday
Thursday, January 12 - End of Grading Period
Friday, January 13 - NO SCHOOL (P/T Conferences); American Red Cross Blood Drive at NDS (10 a.m.-3 p.m.)
Monday, January 16 - NO SCHOOL (Martin Luther King Jr. holiday)
Monday, January 16 - Friday, January 27 - Lunch ordering window open for food service 2/6-3/3
Wednesday, January 18 - Warrior Wednesday
Thursday, January 19 - $2 Icee Day; NDS Board meeting at 4 p.m.
Wednesday, January 25 - Warrior Wednesday
Monday, January 30 - Jump Rope for Heart Kick Off
New Dimensions: A Public Charter School
Email: klookadoo@ndschool.org
Website: ndschool.org
Location: 550 Lenoir Road, Morganton, NC, USA
Phone: 828.437.5753
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ndschool.org