December 2022 NDS Notice
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
A message from our Director, Dr. David Burleson
It is difficult to believe that almost half the school year is already completed, and the Christmas holidays will be here soon. The New Dimensions’ students have achieved a great deal of success thus far and we anticipate even more achievements during the remainder of the school year. Our students have improved academically, competed well athletically, and participated proudly in a variety of other activities. Most importantly, we are proud that our children have progressed in their character development and citizenship skills.
It was the renowned author, Charles Dickens, who once said: “There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas.” I know that each of us shares Dickens’s sentiments even more when we think of the meaning of the holiday season and the anticipation of being with family members and friends. The festivities of this wonderful time of year offer us many opportunities to be with those who make our lives special and to reflect upon our numerous blessings.
During this magical season, I am most thankful for the privilege of serving as the director of New Dimensions. I am grateful to the staff members who share their many gifts of encouragement, love, knowledge, and patience with every student each day. Each staff member makes daily contributions to the academic and personal success for every child at our school.
With continued community support and the dedicated staff of New Dimensions, we will exceed the level of past accomplishments and experience even greater growth in 2023. Quality schools are vital to the economic development of our county. Therefore, our school is dedicated to preparing our children for successful, productive citizenry.
I want to thank each individual in our school that works so diligently each day to provide the best possible education to our students. My gratitude is extended to each parent who has provided support to his/her child and to the school, especially during this unique time in history. We are very blessed to live in a community that conscientiously assumes its responsibility to educate children and to provide the necessary resources for their success.
During the entire month of December, New Dimensions is providing numerous opportunities for our school family to give back to community organizations that assist those in need. From food drives to providing Christmas presents, our school is very involved in helping others.
Our school has some activities planned to help our families celebrate the holidays. These activities include the following:
· Thursday, December 1 – Dress Down as your Favorite Superhero
· Thursday, December 1 – Half Day for Parade – Dismissal at 11:30 a.m.
· Friday, December 2 – Dress down for $1 to Support our Angel Tree
· Friday, December 2 – Progress Reports Distributed
· Monday, December 5 – NDS Gives Back – Dress down and bring a Toy for Blue Elves
· Tuesday, December 6 – NDS Gives Back – Dress down and bring 5 Cans of Food for BUCM
· Wednesday, December 7 – NDS Gives Back – Dress down and bring a $1 for Blue Elves
· Thursday, December 8 – NDS Gives Back – Dress down and bring a $1 for BUCM
· Friday, December 9 – NDS Gives Back – Dress down and bring 5 Cans of Food for BUCM
· Monday, December 12 – Ugly Sweater Day
· Monday, December 12 – NDS Service Projects and Penguin Patch
· Monday, December 12 – NDS Christmas Concert – Comma – 5:30 p.m. (K-2), 7 p.m. (3-5)
· Tuesday, December 13 – Dress in Christmas Colors
· Tuesday, December 13 – NDS Service Projects and Penguin Patch
· Wednesday, December 14 – Kindergarten to Autumn Care in Drexel – 10 to 12
· Wednesday, December 14 - NDS Service Projects and Penguin Patch
· Thursday, December 15 - NDS Service Projects and Penguin Patch
· Thursday, December 15 – Dress as Your Favorite Christmas Character
· Thursday, December 15 – Second Grade Field Trip to the Green Room
· Thursday, December 15 – Band and Chorus Concert (Includes 5th Grade Band) – Catawba River Baptist Church - 6:30 p.m.
· Friday, December 16 – Dress in Your Favorite Christmas PJs
· Friday, December 16 – Half Day for Christmas Vacation – Dismiss at 11:30 a.m.
· Monday, December 19 – Optional Workday for Staff and Student Vacation Day
· Tuesday, December 20 to Friday, December 30 – Christmas Vacation
As 2023 approaches, we anticipate the year with excitement; yet, we know much work is yet to be done. It is imperative that we continue to work together as a community to continue to emphasize the importance of education and supporting each other. It is also of great importance to meet the needs of each student that is in our school.
As our school continues to work with parents and the community to fulfill the challenge of educating our children, please share your ideas and suggestions. Your input is greatly appreciated and needed. Together, we can accomplish so much for the young people of our school.
Best wishes to you and your family for the most blessed of Christmases and the best of new years. With your continued support, the New Dimensions Charter School can and will help each child achieve all the success and happiness he/she so richly deserves. Together, we can make sure that each child in our school achieves success.
Sincerely,
David Burleson
Director
NDS Board of Directors
We are grateful for the grace, compassion, innovation, and student-centered thinking that Dr. Burleson has demonstrated in his time as a Warrior. As we wish him well at the close of his time with us, we look forward to the promise of potential in the new year while holding tightly to the lessons of the past and our shared visions for the future. Please join us in thanking Dr. Burleson for his commitment to building and empowering a team who will continue to ensure that at this school, we will nurture every student, every day, to develop strong character, academic excellence, and good citizenship.
Dr. Burleson, on behalf of the Board of Directors, we thank you for your commitment to our school and students. We wish you a peaceful, joyful, and healthy holiday season and retirement.
NDS Board of Directors
NDS Silent Auction and 1BurkeGives
CONGRATULATIONS WARRIORS!! We did it! Our goal for the NDS Silent Auction this year was met!! We raised over $8,400 with the Silent Auction going well over our $7,000 goal and over $1,100 more with the annual 1BurkeGives Giving Tuesday on November 29! All of the donations will go to support of our Warrior family lunch program. Thank you for your very generous gifts! There is truly no school family like a Warrior school family!
P.E/Clubs/Sports & Athletic Boosters
New Dimensions' students have continued to be active in their PE classes and on the athletic field during their first couple of months of the school year. In PE classes, students have been staying active with plenty of exercise and still have had some opportunities to get outside before the cold sets in with walks on the school nature trail, use of our ropes course, and to play active PE games on our NDS athletic field.
On the athletic field our little league outdoor soccer had a lot of our youngsters come out to play. We had a total of eight teams participating this Fall with a total of around 90 players. We have 2 teams from 5-6 year olds; 3 teams from 7-8 year olds; and 3 teams from 9-10 years old; and 2 teams from 11-13 years old. All of these teams put a lot of hard work and time into their practices and games. Our teams had a lot of success on the soccer field as well with learning more of the game; improvement during practices; and even winning a lot of games. We had one of our 7-8 yr old teams and two of our 9-10 yr old teams that did well enough to get into the playoffs for the County Recreation Soccer Tournament. All 3 of these teams played hard and represented New Dimensions well in the playoffs. We even had 1 of our 9-10 yr old teams make it to the semifinal game before losing a tough game. We are proud of all our little league soccer teams and their players. We would especially like to thank all of the volunteer coaches and parents who have been able to help lead our youngsters out on the soccer fields at practices and games.
At the middle school level, both our girl's and boy's cross country team had their best season ever. Both teams dominated their competition winning every cross country meet to include all of the regular season meets, the NDS Invitational meet, and the conference championship!! In every meet all of our runners were seen finishing their races strong, competing at their best, and showing consistent improvement from one race to the next. We are very proud of all of our cross country runners and Championship teams!! Way to go Warriors!!
Little league basketball sign ups were passed out in October to interested students. Teams were put together and have been practicing in the month of November to get ready for their first games in early December. We have a total of 90 little league basketball players with three 5-6 yr old teams; three 7-8 yr old teams; and three 9-10 yr old teams. We want to wish all of these players and teams the very best in their basketball season. We would also like to thank all of the volunteer coaches and parents who have been able to help lead our youngsters out on the basketball court at practices and for the upcoming games.
Middle school basketball tryouts have just finished and practices are now in session. New Dimensions will have both JV girls and boys teams and Varsity girls and boys teams this year. They will be in a conference playing games against schools from Rutherfordton, Nebo, and Lenoir. Games are set to start in early January. We look forward to a great basketball season from our middle school teams. If you have any questions pertaining to middle school basketball please contact Coach Brooks through email at mbrooks@ndschool.org or text him at 813-215-4879.
The cheerleading club has seen many cheerleaders come out this year. They have been working hard and can be heard cheering their hearts out inside and outside the school during their practices. Our Warrior cheerleaders will be able to cheer for our upcoming basketball season for our middle school teams starting in January. We want to thank Mrs. Higdon, Mrs. Stroupe, and Miss Burnette for leading these cheerleaders!!
The archery club has now turned into our competition teams. The 4th-5th graders will represent one competition team and the 6th-8th graders will represent the other team. Practice for the 4th-5th grade team will continue to be on Mondays after school until 5:00pm. And, practice for the 6th-8th graders will continue to be on Wednesdays after school until 5:00pm. If you would like to donate any money to help further our archery program please contact Coach Brooks. We continue to look forward to a great year for our archery program!
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns with PE classes or athletics. I look forward to working with your children and getting to know you and your families!
Thank you,
Coach Brooks
NDS Christmas Program at CoMMA
The upcoming NDS Christmas programs will take place as follows:
- Monday, December 12 - Kindergarten - 5th grade students
Location: CoMMA
Times: 5:30 p.m. for K-2nd and 7:00 for 3rd-5th
Ticket sales: (ONLY needed for K-5 parents attending CoMMA)
Costs are:
Adult: $4.80
NON NDS students: $2.67
Children under 4: FREE
- Tickets are live on CoMMA website (https://www.commaonline.org/comma/page/tickets) or purchased in person at the box office (401 S College Street, Morganton NC 28655 )
Tickets can ONLY be purchased online, by phone, or directly from the CoMMA Box Office. Tickets will be available for purchase the night of the performance as well. For Handicap or other special seating needs, please call 800-939-7469.
Box Office Hours are Monday - Friday 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., except major holidays.
Q&A with Mrs. Burnette:
Is there special seating for Deaf guests? Yes, there is a reserved seating for deaf guests, just please make sure to order the tickets for that option
What if I have a child in both performances? You only have to purchase 1 ticket and just stay seated and wait for the other performance. You will also need to get a free ticket for the student that is not performing, so they may sit with you while not performing with their class.
What time does my child need to be there? For the first show (K-2) no later than 5:15 p.m., for the second show (3-5) no later than 6:45 p.m.
What if my child does not attend NDS? There is a student price for any student who does not attend NDS.
Do I pick a seat number? No, the seats are General Admission
What does my child wear for the production? Something nice they have. Feel free to wear Christmas colors or outfits. Just remember your student is on stage in front of people.
Do 5th grade band students attend this program? No. They will have a performance with the MS program on Dec 15.
NDS Chorus and Band Concert
Thursday, December 15, the NDS Middle School Chorus and 5th and Middle School Band students will hold a concert at Catawba Valley Baptist Church (706 Lenoir Rd, Morganton) at 6:30 p.m. The concert is FREE and no tickets are required.
NDS Chorus students should arrive at the church at 6:00 p.m. Chorus student's attire should be white shirts, black dress pants or skirts; no jeans. All students should wear black dress shoes.
Middle School and 5th grade band students are to arrive at Catawba Valley Baptist Church at 6:00. 5th grade band students should wear Christmas colors. Middle School band students are to wear white button-up shirts, black dress pants or skirts; no jeans. All students should wear black dress shoes. Middle school band students also need a red and white Santa hat.
We look forward to seeing our NDS families on the 15th! Merry Christmas!
NDS Lunch Program
Check out the NDS website for more information about our lunch program.
NDS PTO Penguin Patch
Students will shop in person with his or her grade level or can shop with a parent or guardian before or after school.
For more information, contact Mr. Mirtsching at amirtsching@ndschool.org.
Challenge Lego Robotics will have a competition at NDS on Friday, December 2. The competition begins at 3:30 p.m.
Explore Lego Robotics will have a Festival/Showcase in Mooresville on Saturday, December 3 at Pine Lake Prep.
NDS GIVES BACK & SERVICE PROJECT WEEKS
Blue Elves
Burke United Christian Ministries
Glen Alpine Food Pantry
Monday, December 5 to Friday, December 9 – NDS Gives Back
Monday, December 5 – NDS Gives Back Dress Down for Toys for Blue Elves
Tuesday, December 6 – NDS Gives Back Dress Down for 5 cans for BUCM
Wednesday, December 7 – NDS Gives Back Dress Down for $1 or more for Blue Elves
Thursday, December 8 – NDS Gives Back Dress Down for $1 or more for BUCM
Friday, December 9 - NDS Gives Back Dress Down for 5 cans for Glen Alpine Food Pantry
Monday, December 12 to Friday, December 16 – NDS Grade Level Service Projects
Monday, December 12 – Ugly Sweater Day
Tuesday, December 13 – Dress Down in Christmas Colors
Wednesday, December 14 – Dress in Christmas Warrior attire
Thursday, December 17 – Dress as a Christmas Character
Friday, December 18 – Christmas Pajama Day
Christmas Spirit Week - December 12 - 16
Interact Club
Poetry Slam
Poet, author and teaching artist, Mr. Phillip Shabazz, was with our students for the second year in a row November 14-18 for a Poetry Slam. Students were taught all the components of poetry and created their own pieces throughout the week. At the end of the week, there was a Poetry Slam competition. The winner's this year are as follows:
December Events
· Thursday, December 1 – Dress Down as your Favorite Superhero
· Thursday, December 1 – Half Day for Parade – Dismissal at 11:30 a.m.
· Friday, December 2 – Dress down for $1 to Support our Angel Tree
· Friday, December 2 – Progress Reports Distributed
· Monday, December 5 – NDS Gives Back – Dress down and bring a Toy for Blue Elves
· Tuesday, December 6 – NDS Gives Back – Dress down and bring 5 Cans of Food for BUCM
· Wednesday, December 7 – NDS Gives Back – Dress down and bring a $1 for Blue Elves
· Thursday, December 8 – NDS Gives Back – Dress down and bring a $1 for BUCM
· Friday, December 9 – NDS Gives Back – Dress down and bring 5 Cans of Food for BUCM
· Monday, December 12 – Ugly Sweater Day
· Monday, December 12 – NDS Service Projects and Penguin Patch
· Monday, December 12 – NDS Christmas Concert – Comma – 5:30 p.m. (K-2), 7 p.m. (3-5)
· Tuesday, December 13 – Dress in Christmas Colors
· Tuesday, December 13 – NDS Service Projects and Penguin Patch
· Wednesday, December 14 – Dress in Christmas Warrior Wednesday attire
· Wednesday, December 14 - NDS Service Projects and Penguin Patch
· Thursday, December 15 - NDS Service Projects and Penguin Patch
· Thursday, December 15 – Dress as Your Favorite Christmas Character
· Thursday, December 15 – Band and Chorus Concert (Includes 5th Grade Band) – Catawba River Baptist Church - 6:30 p.m.
· Friday, December 16 – Dress in Your Favorite Christmas PJs
· Friday, December 16 – Half Day for Christmas Vacation – Dismiss at 11:30 a.m.
· Monday, December 19 – Optional Workday for Staff and Student Vacation Day
· Tuesday, December 20 to Friday, December 30 – Christmas Vacation
New Dimensions: A Public Charter School
Email: mailto:klookadoo@ndschool.org
Website: ndschool.org
Location: 550 Lenoir Road, Morganton, NC, USA
Phone: 8284375753
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ndschool.org