DON'T BUY A PIG IN A POKE!!

Dear NSA Enrollment Applicant:

This old saying is a wise one.  It warns not to buy or do anything unless you have truly researched the facts carefully before you make a decision.

Choosing a school for your child is more important than buying a home or car.  Your most valuable assets are your children.  The schooling they receive in elementary and middle school forms the foundation for their lifetime education.  It should be selected with great care and with a full examination of facts.

The 21^st century is one of educational choice.  You have many options -- home schooling, private schools, your neighborhood public school, and charter schools.  Before you choose, we would like to help you make that choice the right one.

NSA is in its fourth year.  It is a Core Knowledge School with two defining features: Spanish and Character Education combined with a Service Learning component.

The school has a reputation for the following:

• A culture that is inviting and supporting of a quality education by parents, staff, and students
• Discipline that is reinforced by the ongoing teaching of the five character traits outlined in our student pledge:

"We, the Citizenship of

 North Star Academy,
pledge to have: 

Respect for others,
Responsibility for ourselves,

Integrity in our actions and words,

and

Excellence in our work."

(Written by Deven Deepak Patel, 5^th Grade - 2007/2008)

• A daily teaching of the Spanish language on every grade level
• A well-defined curriculum taught in a structured, sequential fashion in all content areas
• A Character Education Program directly taught weekly by the Principal
• Meaningful and relevant Service Learning Projects integrated with the Character Education Program
• Licensed and highly effective teachers dedicated to the education of the students
• Uniforms that distinguish NSA students and give them a sense of pride
• A highly-experienced administration that leads the school with a love of children, a commitment to a high-quality education, and a dash of humor
• A beautifully furnished home-like facility with state-of-the-art technology in every classroom

If this sounds like a school that would be of interest to you, we would like to offer ways to help make your decision.

One of your best sources of information is an existing NSA parent.  If you don't know one, we have a group of NSA Parent Ambassadors who you can contact through our web site.  Leave your phone number and/or email, and you will be contacted by one of our parents.

Another excellent way to gather facts is to visit our website.  Browse through it.  Check the home pages of the teachers to see what is happening daily in their classrooms. Read through and make a list of questions you might have.

Come see for yourself.  Every first Wednesday of the month (with the exception of October 2010.  October's tour will be on October 20th, 2010), join the principal for coffee at 9:00 A.M. and a tour of the school (please R.S.V.P. by CLICKING HERE if you are able to join us). 

Finally, before the January 2011 lottery, come to an informational meeting the week of November 15, 2010.  The administration and staff will present and answer your questions in depth.

If you do all the above and you are lucky enough to win the lottery in January of 2011, you have made a very good choice!  You gave the pig a good poke and we welcome you to NSA!!  

Sincerely,

Cynthia A. Haws

A Principal with a Dash of Humor