NDS NOTICE: October 2022
Fall is in the air!
A message from our Director, Dr. David Burleson
It’s hard to believe that our first month of school has come to an end. Please know how proud I am of everyone at New Dimensions. Our students have started the new school year with a zeal and desire to make this the best school year ever. Our staff could not have worked any harder or done any better job trying to juggle all they have been required to do over the last several years. From balancing face to face learning and quarantines to opening Lunchables in the cafeteria, our staff has been amazing.
New Dimensions is grateful for the support and encouragement we've received from our entire Warrior family. Our parents have been willing to volunteer whenever asked. From selling books at our book fair to monitoring the cafeteria for duty free lunches, they have been amazing. We had a record attendance for our Grandparents’ Day on September 15, with over 700 grandparents coming to spend time in our school. As a school, we recognize how important grandparents are in the lives of their grandchildren.
An exciting event at New Dimensions is the yearly fall festival. On Friday, October 7 our Warrior family will have the opportunity to celebrate another school year on the athletic field from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Games, food, ice cream, bounce houses and other activities will be available for an evening of fun. During the school day, students who completed their summer packets will have the opportunity to spend extra time on the bounce houses.
New Dimensions currently has 538 students enrolled in our school which is the largest enrollment ever. The end of the first grading period at New Dimensions will be Thursday, October 28, signaling the time for the first report cards. With the distribution of report cards, it’s also time for New Dimensions to provide parents and teachers the opportunity to discuss the educational progress of the students we serve. This is a wonderful chance for parents to talk with their child’s teacher and share any ideas or concerns they may have. It is also the occasion for a student’s teacher to update parents on how their child is doing in school and how they can work together to provide the best education possible. The parent/teacher conference day is designated as Wednesday, November 2. I would encourage all parents to make every effort to attend a conference with your child’s teacher either face to face or in Zoom. This a great time to conference with teachers and develop a plan to help all students be successful.
In order for our students to be successful, there must be communication between the home and the school. These conferences are one way to establish that line of communication. It’s very important for parents and teachers to get to know each other and to feel comfortable communicating with each other. One of the best tools a teacher possesses is the ability to call parents when students are not meeting their potential, are having a special recognition, or when there are special events/concerns at school. It’s also important that parents know they can pick up the phone and call the teacher if they sense a problem or have a compliment regarding their child’s classroom. To continue to improve our school and make it one in which we are all very proud, we must work together. One way to do that is to take advantage of the Parent/Teacher Conference Day.
When preparing for a parent/teacher conference, I would make the following recommendations to the parents:
Talk to your child.
ASK WHICH subjects your child likes best and least.
FIND OUT why.
ASK WHAT your child would like to discuss.
Think about your own questions or concerns.
MAKE A LIST of the questions or concerns before the conference.
LIST INFORMATION you want the teacher to know about your child.
INCLUDE QUESTIONS about school programs or policies.
Some good questions to ask are:
How well does my child get along with others?
Is my child working up to his or her ability?
Does my child participate in class discussions and activities?
Has my child missed any classes other than the ones I contacted the school about?
Has my child been tardy to school?
Have you noticed any sudden changes in the way my child acts? For example, have you noticed any squinting, tiredness, or moodiness that might be a sign of physical or other problems?
It's a good idea to ask your most important questions first, just in case time runs out before you and the teacher have a chance to discuss them all.
Be sure to ask the teacher for specific suggestions on ways to help your child do better. This is the most important part of the meeting. It will become your action plan.
If the teacher says something you don't quite understand, don't be shy about asking for an explanation.
It's a good idea to end the conference by summing up decisions you've made together. If needed, ask to meet again.
An additional way our school is communicating with parents is through PowerSchool. Not only can teachers share assignments and feedback with their students but parents can also get instantaneous information on their child’s progress.
It is the desire of New Dimensions to work with our parents and community to make our school a place where all students can be successful. By working together, we can achieve this goal.
Sincerely,
David Burleson
Director
NDS ATHLETIC BOOSTERS/SPORTS
In PE classes, we have begun the school year getting in shape by running, doing various exercises, and playing fun, interactive games. We have enjoyed the nice weather by getting students outside as much as possible and making use of our athletic field, ropes course, and our new gaga pit. The middle school adventure education class recently took a special field trip on two different days to Big Foot Climbing Gym in Morganton enjoying some tough rock wall climbing. The middle school team sports/personal fitness class will also go to Big Foot Climbing Gym in mid to late October and hopefully a trip to Planet Fitness.
A special "Thank You" to all of those students and families who were able to participate in the annual Sunrise Run at the beginning of September. Once again, for the seventh year in a row, our New Dimension Warriors were able to have the most participants attend the Sunrise Run out of all the schools in Burke County. Your efforts helped us to get extra money to go towards PE and athletic supplies for our school.
The school year for New Dimensions' athletics is off to a fast start with both little league and middle school sports. Many of our students are participating in some of our fall sports such as cross country and little league/middle school outdoor soccer. The student athletes have worked hard in their respective sports and can be seen around campus practicing or competing.
We have had great participation in little league outdoor soccer. We have eight teams competing, with a total of 90 players. We have two teams of 5-6 year olds; three teams of 7-8 year olds; and three teams of 9-10 year olds. All of these teams have been practicing many evenings to get ready for their season. Games for these teams started at the end of September and will go through the end of October or early November. We want to thank all of the volunteer coaches who have helped lead our youngsters out on the soccer fields. We want to wish all the teams the best of luck in their upcoming games!!
New this year, middle school outdoor soccer has switched the season from spring to fall. This school year, we are once again able to have two co-ed Warrior teams for our school. Practices for the two teams have been ongoing since the second week of September with a lot of hard work and learning for the game of soccer. As of this writing, both squads have already played a total of five games, with some very competitive games with other schools such as Morganton Day, Nebo Crossing Academy, Hickory Day, Trinity Christian, and with each other. So far, both New Dimension teams have winning records in conference play with Team One at two wins and one loss and Team Two at three wins and zero losses. Both teams will be back in action at home on Tuesday, October 4 against Trinity Christian at 4:00 p.m. and again at 5:00 p.m. Please come out and support our Warrior teams!!
The cross country team has been practicing since the third week of September to get ready for their upcoming meets with other schools such as Morganton Day, Hickory Day, Trinity Christian, Nebo Crossing Academy, Shining Rock Classical Academy, and Oak Hill Charter. The cross country runners can be seen running around campus, running on the athletic field, up and down hills, and on our nature trail. The girls and boys cross country teams will look to defend their Championship titles from last year with their first meet at home on Monday, October 10 at 4:30 p.m. Come out and support our Warrior runners!! We look forward to another great cross country season this year!!
Cheerleading is set to begin with their first practices starting Tuesday, October 4. Cheerleaders will meet with Coach Stroupe, Coach Higdon, and Coach Burnette on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school until 4:00 p.m. for their practices. We look forward to hearing our Warrior cheerleaders cheer their loudest inside and outside the school during their practices. The cheerleaders will be working hard to get ready for cheering at our little league and middle school basketball games and then flag football games later in the school year. Go Warrior Cheerleaders!!
The archery club is set to begin in early October with 4th-5th grade archers meeting on Mondays right after school until 5:00 p.m. and the 6th-8th grade archers meeting on Wednesdays right after school until 5:00 p.m. This year the 4th-5th grade archery club will be led by Coach Lail and Coach Webb. The 6th-8th grade archery club will be led by Coach Sullivan and Coach Brooks. Both groups of archers have many participants, with as many as 35 in each group. The club members will learn about archery equipment, archery range setup, archery shooting, and overall archery safety. In an effort to have fun and to help support our archery program, the archery club will have an archery shooting booth at the upcoming Fall Festival on Friday, October 7. We hope you come by and check out our booth and even try to shoot a bow and arrow to support our archery program. We look forward to a great season for the archery club!!
Signups for little league and middle school basketball will be starting soon. Be on the lookout for forms. We hope to begin practicing in November. If you are interested in helping coach our little league basketball teams, please contact Coach Brooks at mbrooks@ndschool.org or by phone at 813-215-4879.
If you are interested in the Athletic Booster Club, we would like to invite you to the monthly meetings. At the meetings we will talk about our school’s athletics, to include both little league, middle school sports and athletic clubs. Your INPUT and/or VOLUNTEER TIME will be greatly appreciated. Our next meeting will be on Friday, October 21 at 8:00 a.m. in the Warrior Conference Room. If you cannot meet with us face-to-face, we would like you to meet with us virtually through ZOOM. Please email me at mbrooks@ndschool.org if you are interested in attending via ZOOM. A link to the meeting will be sent out just prior to the meeting day.
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
SCHOOL PICTURE DAY
The NDS Book Blast is an event we hope will inspire more lifelong readers by putting at least one new book in the hands of EVERY student at our school. This means that every student, whether they participate in the program or not, will be receiving a FREE new, exciting, age-appropriate book on book delivery day. Also, 100% of the contributions from the community will go toward books for our students and books and educational supplies for our school.
As the contributions come in from the friends and family you've invited to contribute through the Registration Site, those dollars will go toward building your students' home library.
Your student has the opportunity to earn up to 10 books, but again, he/she is guaranteed at
least one - regardless of participation. Each of these books is listed on the Treasure Map by
grade level and is approximately $10. So, as contributions come in, your student's home library is built up book by book (from the list) until he/she reaches $100. At that point, your student will have earned all the books on the book list! Any contributions over $100 will go into a general fund for our school to help purchase books for those students who weren’t fortunate enough to receive contributions and to go toward books and educational supplies for the school.
In addition to all the books your students will be receiving, Books Are Fun will also be giving
away participation rewards, 4 Treasure Chests stuffed with cash, and even an iPad during the
first week of the event. Along with those prizes, students have the opportunity to earn $100 and $200 shopping sprees from Books Are Fun. One lucky student from each grade level will be rewarded with a $100 shopping spree for bringing in the highest amount of contributions.
SPELLING BEE CLUB
Middle School Drama Class Field Trip
WARRIOR READERS CLUB
On Tuesday, October 4, there will be an interest meeting for our Warrior Readers Club that participates in the Elementary Battle of the Books competition to be held in April 2023.
This is for any interested 4th and 5th graders. Our club will start reading the required books from October through January. We will hold our meetings beginning in late January until the competition in April. Interested students will go to Mrs. Nichols's classroom at 3:45 p.m. Pickup will be at 4:15 p.m. in front of the school.
Junior Beta Club
Beta club for 4th and 5th graders will kick off at the end of October! If you have a student that is a current 5th grader who was in Beta last year, they are still in the club. He or she will need to submit the yearly cost of $16 to Ms. Burnette (5th grade). 4th graders who are interested will be invited to join after the first report cards go out. Students must maintain a B average in each of their classes. In addition to this, students will have to complete 15 community service hours per year. Ms. Burnette has copies of a service log if anyone needs one. Students are required to attend one meeting per month. Dates for those are TBD. Please feel free to reach out with any questions - Sydney Burnette sburnette@ndschool.org.
NDS FALL FESTIVAL
NDS LUNCH ORDERING
October Icees
OCTOBER $1 DRESS DOWNS
$1 Wear Red Dress Down
$1 Wear Orange Dress Down
$1 Wear Pink Dress Down
WARRIOR WEDNESDAYS
NDS APPAREL
New Dimensions Charter School will now partner 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 form below. 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:
10/3/22 - 10/14/22 with projected deliver on 10/28/22
11/1/22 - 11/11/22 with projected deliver on 11/22/22
11/28/22 - 12/02/22 with projected deliver on 12/15/22
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
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:
October 2022
• Monday, October 3 - School Picture Day
• Wednesday, October 5 - Warrior Wednesday
• Thursday, October 6 - 1st grade field trip (KidSenses ON SITE)
• Friday, October 7 - $1 Wear Red Dress Down Day for Fire Prevention Month (MDPS)
• Friday, October 7 - NDS Fall Festival 4-7 p.m.
• Monday, October 10 - Friday, October 21 - Lunch order window open for food service 11.03 - 12.02
• Monday, October 10 - $1 Wear Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness (BRHC Mammography)
• Tuesday, October 11 - Kindergarten Field Trip (Johnny Wilson Farm)
• Wednesday, October 12 - 3rd grade field trip (Camp Flintlock ON SITE); 6th grade field trip (Catawba Science Center)
• Wednesday, October 12 - Warrior Wednesday
• Friday, October 14 - $1 Wear Orange Dress Down for Bully Awareness (Big Brother/Sister)
• Wednesday, October 19 - Warrior Wednesday
• Thursday, October 20 - NDS Board meeting; Drama Class Field Trip (The Green Room)
• Friday, October 21 - $1 Wear Purple Dress down for Domestic Violence
• Thursday, October 27 - $2 Icee Day; 4th grade field trip (The Green Room)
• Friday, October 28 - End of Grading period; Book Character Day; 5th Grade Field Trip (WNC Nature Center)
• Monday, October 31 - NO SCHOOL (Teacher Workday)
Looking Ahead - November 2022
• Tuesday, November 1 - NO SCHOOL (Teacher Workday)
• Wednesday, November 2 - NO SCHOOL (Teacher Workday); Parent/Teacher Conferences
New Dimensions: A Public Charter School
Email: klookadoo@ndschool.org
Website: ndschool.org
Location: 550 Lenoir Rd, Morganton, NC, USA
Phone: 828.437.5753
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ndschool.org