Northwest Christian School

Online Calendar 2023-2024

*Flex students who attend classes on campus will only have online classes on this day and should not report to campus. **Flex students who attend classes on campus will have an adjusted schedule for their on-campus classes.

Once again, there have been several changes in the Business Office this past year! ESA funding and AAA scholarship coordination with tax credits have provided great support for the funding of private education! Tricia Mucklow has assumed the role of NCS Business Manager and Monette Mason is managing tuition accounts as the Accounts Receivable Assistant Diane Shulda will continue to assist families with their MySchoolBucks lunch account needs.

As we go into the 23-24 school year, we want to remind our families that payments are due on the 1st of each month A late fee of $25 will be charged to the tuition account after the 7th of every month, if the monthly payment is not received in full. The tuition accounts of families awaiting tax credits or ESA funding are still subject to late fees. Any credit balances from the 22-23 school year will be applied to the 23-24 school year in July. Credit balances are refunded if your students graduate or are withdrawn from NCS. If your student is a Senior in the 23-24 school year, the ENTIRE family tuition balance through May AND the Senior’s portion of June tuition, is due by May 17, 2023 to guarantee participation in the graduation ceremony For your convenience, tuition charges for seniors have been prorated over 10 months to assist families with meeting this deadline.

If a family pays the full tuition amount before August 7, 2023, a 3% discount of the full tuition amount will be applied at a later date Please click here for the 23-24 tuition schedule, the totals that reflect the 3% discount, and for details regarding family discounts. Tuition payments are made through your Blackbaud portal on the NCS website. If you use a credit or debit card, Blackbaud Tuition Management (BTM) charges a 3% convenience fee, however payments made with a checking account are free. Automatic payments are available through BTM and can be set up via the portal on our website If you prefer to mail a check, please send it directly to NCS (not Blackbaud Tuition Management.) For your convenience, a secure drop box is available in the administration building.

We receive tax credits starting in July and award cycles continue throughout the school year. Awards are available when they are posted to your NCS family tuition account. Once you are notified of an award by the STO, it can take up to four weeks for that award to be received by the finance office and posted to your account. For more information regarding tax credits and some of the STO’s we work with, please click here. The tuition accounts of families awaiting tax credit funding are still subject to late fees.

Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA) are available to all K-12 students through the Arizona Department of Education Preschoolers reaching age 5 by January 1 are also eligible for ESA funding ESA funding is PROHIBITED in the same school year that a student receives any tax credit funding. To learn more about this program or to apply, please visit the AZ Department of Education Website In order to assist families with compliance, please inform the Business Office if you apply for ESA Funding. (Monette Mason, ext 527). ESA funding is available at the beginning of each quarter in July, October, January and April The funding should be disbursed QUARTERLY as soon as you receive notification that funds are available. Parents may choose to disburse funding to the school or reimburse themselves for tuition payments that have already been paid to the school. For detailed instructions regarding how to disburse ESA funding, please email Monette Mason mason@ncsaz.org. The Business Office is unable to provide the documents needed to disburse ESA funding. Those documents may only be obtained by parents through their Blackbaud Tuition Management portal. The tuition accounts of families awaiting ESA funding are still subject to late fees.

The Business Office is unable to direct your decision regarding Tax Credits or ESA. This is a personal choice based on the circumstances of individual families We are happy to assist with information as needed.

Early Education students will have a (BTM) tuition account that is now combined with your student(s) in K-12! If your student(s) utilize our extended care program, those charges will be paid through your Procare App and are due weekly

Activity fees will be added to your tuition account sometime this summer. Those fees vary by grade level and are due by AUGUST 7th Late fees of $25 per month will be charged for unpaid activity fees. Activity fees will be collected on Registration Day or may be paid through your Tuition Management portal. Activity fees are nonrefundable and are not eligible to be covered by tax credits.

We appreciate your continued support! The timely payment of tuition is essential to the financial wellbeing of our school. We are blessed beyond measure to have teachers, faculty and community at a school like NCS!

We know families sometimes have financial difficulties and we are here to help. Please contact the Business Office if you have an extenuating circumstance such as illness, loss of a job, death, divorce, etc. We appreciate communication and may be able to offer assistance.

We are looking forward to another great year!

Trish Mucklow (Ext 507), Diane Shulda (Ext 517) & Monette Mason (Ext 527)

Dear NCS Family,

Due to the consistent efforts of NCS parents, Northwest Christian School continues to be the leading private, Christian school in the State with regard to both the number of tuition assistance awards received by students and in student annual award totals. Together, NCS has helped make Arizona a “parent choice, school choice” leader I am encouraged by the many praise reports each year and with the new Universal Empowerment Scholarship, the impact and reach of tuition assistance has never been stronger. Your successful efforts to make a Christ-centered, private education an affordable reality are both an inspiration to others and a testimony of God’s perfect provision.

There are several ways to learn more about the various private school tuition assistance programs.

1) Consider self-scheduling a phone consultation: Schedule Tuition Assistance Consult. Additional appointment dates will be posted in August.

2) Review the 5-Step Action Plan here.

3) For K-12th grade students, consider applying for the Universal ESA. To learn more, go to: Azed.gov/esa The ESA cannot be combined with tax credits for the same student during the same fiscal year (July 1 - June 30).

4) Review the following links to learn more about the various tuition assistance options in Arizona: Ways to Afford A Christian Education, Tax Credits "At A Glance".

5) Watch a tuition assistance webinar coming in October.

6) Review the AZTO Applicant Guide as well as the materials from other STO’s such as: ACSTO, APESF, IBE, PSTF123, and STO4KIDZ

7) Consider creating a family landing page unique to your student(s) This tool allows you to promote the tax credit program easily to family, friends, and colleagues. See the samples available from AZTO, ACSTO, and STO4Kidz.

8) Low to medium income families may want to apply for Corporate Tax Credits: AAA, ALF, SCA, APSTO, ATC, Pwww.NorthwestChristianSchool.orgSTF123, and AZTO. The best time to apply is in the spring. Corporate awards cannot be combined with ESA. Each Corporate STO posts income guidelines.

If you have questions about the Arizona tuition assistance programs, login into your NCS portal and review the tuition assistance tile under the “Resource” tab Resource links are updated throughout the year. You may also contact the tax credit or ESA organizations directly. If you are a current family with questions relating to your tuition account balance or if you would like to discuss a financial hardship, please contact the NCS finance office at 602-978-5134 ext. 507. Our team is happy to assist you.

Whether you are new to NCS or a long-time NCS family, there is a tuition assistance program for you You are a valued part of the NCS family and it is our privilege to partner with you as you seek to provide an affordable, Christ-centered education of excellence for your family.

Joyfully Serving Him,

Michelle Reddy Director of Admissions

Northwest Christian School

16401 N. 43rd Ave. | Phoenix, AZ 85053

Phone: 602-978-5134 | Ext: 515

Email: mreddy@ncsaz.org

Web: www.NCSaz.org

Early Ed

Extended Care is available at the Early Ed facility before school from 7:30 to 8:30 and after school from 3:00 to 5:30. This is a licensed program and requires the student to be registered before attending. There is a cost for Extended Care. You can find the Extended Care Enrollment form here or in your BlackBaud portal under the Resources tab Please contact the Early Education office for information

Elementary

Before School - The Elementary Library is open from 7:30 until school begins each day This space allows students to study and take AR tests before school The Elementary Playground is supervised for students from 7:30 to 8:00 each day Parents may drop off students as early as 7:30 as the school day begins at 8:00

After School - There are four options for students at the end of the school day In the elementary program students are not allowed to wander the campus without a parent, secondary sibling or identified adult. Students that are alone are walked to the elementary office and parents are contacted

● Students are to be picked up from their classrooms by a parent, secondary sibling or identified adult no later than 3:15 each day.

● Students are walked by an aide to a scheduled ASAP program on its scheduled day. Parents are expected to pick their children up at the end of the ASAP program Students who are not picked up are walked to the elementary office and parents are contacted.

● Students are walked to Extended Care by an aide. Extended Care is a licensed program. Parents are required to register their child for Extended Care before the child can attend the program You can find the Extended Care Enrollment form here or in your BlackBaud portal under the Resources tab. Extended Care is available from 3:00 to 5:30 and there is a cost for the program. Please contact the Early Education office for more information as that office administers the After School Extended Care program for 15 months of age – 5th grade students.

● Students may utilize the Elementary Library from 3:00 to 4:00 each day. Elementary students must be accompanied by a parent, secondary sibling or identified adult while in the library after school This time is dedicated for AR testing, tutoring, studying and research. The Elementary Library closes at 4:00 daily.

Secondary

Before School - Secondary Students can utilize the Teen Space before school Monday through Friday from 7:00 to 7:45 The before school Teen Space is located in room 201 and is staffed by an NCS staff member The Teen Space is available for studying, research, test make-up, tutoring and homework.

After School - Secondary Students can utilize the Teen Space after school Monday through Friday from 3:00 to 5:00. The after school Teen Space is located in room 120 and is staffed by an NCS staff member. The Teen Space is available for studying, research, test make-up, tutoring and homework.

Early Release

All Sections - NCS works to provide space and care for our students before and after school during the typical school day. On Early Release Days space and care is provided in the morning as mentioned above. After school on an early release day, Extended Care may be provided for the Early Education program only, there is a cost for Extended Care The ASAP program, Library and Teen Space are not available after school on Early Release Days.

Northwest Christian School is delighted that our families have benefited from our community carpool program. Whether you are seeking to meet other NCS families in your neighborhood, or if you are looking for an occasional ride home or a regular pick-up and/or drop-off schedule, an NCS carpool might be just what you are looking for. There is no commitment for expressing interest in sharing a ride

Click here to sign-up for the carpool interest list.

A link to the list of carpool participants will be emailed to all registrants by August 18th Please contact the admissions office if you have any questions. (602) 978-5134, option 3