I can't believe the students have been here for almost 2 months. I hope you all have a great Fall Break, and I will see you in October!
Use the menu below to navigate quickly through the contents of this month's update: 

SAB Intro:

As students adjust to the academic rigor of NCSSM it is also important for them to make time to have fun, relax, and enjoy all parts of the Science and Math experience. To that end, it is important that you and they know about the NCSSM Student Activities Board and all the amazing opportunities that it offers students. 

SAB is made up of student and employee volunteers from across campus. Under the supervision of Kori Willoughby, the Assistant Director for Prevention Education/Training and Student Activities, SAB meets every other Thursday throughout the year to plan activities and events for the student body. Meetings are open to all students.

Some popular SAB events, outside of major campus-wide events like Welcome Week, the Halloween Dance & Costume Contest, Winter Semi-Formal Dance, Prom, and End-of-Year Celebrations, include:

• Friday Fun Day activities like grocery bingo and giant Twister

• Thursday Night Trivia in the Courtyard

• Weekend Movie Nights outdoors and in the Lecture Hall

• Food Runs, Loops, and Sunday study breaks

• Block Parties on Hill Street

You can find out more about SAB and see upcoming events on their website.

Third Beall has been really active in SAB in recent years, and this year is no different if you want to take a peak at the current  SAB Team

PSAT:

NCSSM will be administering the PSAT to the entire junior class on Wednesday, Oct. 22nd. You do not need to do anything to register nor do you need to make a payment as that was part of the security deposit. If you think your student might qualify for a fee waiver, please email financial.assistance@ncssm.edu to get the information you need ASAP. Students may access the PSAT student guide electronically. If students would like to prepare further for this exam, they can do some practice problems through Khan Academy.

In preparation for Wednesday’s PSAT administration, we will follow a Wednesday Lab schedule during the day on Monday, Oct. 20th. All juniors will take the PSAT in the morning on Wednesday; we will then follow an abbreviated Monday schedule that afternoon. Evening classes and Online webinars will meet on their normal Monday schedule.

1:1s:

Over the next few weeks your students will be receiving emails from me to schedule 1-on-1 meetings. These meetings give me a chance to get to know your students better, respond to any issues they are having on hall or campus, get ideas about things they would like to see on hall, and just generally check in on how they are enjoying their time at NCSSM. 1:1s typically last between 20 and 30 minutes. We will have these meetings every semester.

Some students did their 1-on-1 meetings before break, but any student who wants to is welcome to schedule more than meeting slot. If students want to sign up for more than one in a row, or separte meetings in different weeks that is fine. I love 1-on-1 season since it gives me a chance to meet with each student and get to know everyone better.

Progress Reports:

As October draws to a close, faculty across campus will be completing grading assignments so that we can release second progress reports for your students on November 7th. To view your student’s progress report you will need to log into Blackbaud and select the “progress” tab. Then click where it says “report cards” to open all the progress reports for this year. Select either “Semester 1 - Durham” or “Semester 1 - Durham (no comments),” depending on whether you want to view grades and teacher feedback, or just grades.

If you have concerns about your student’s performance, please let me know. I always meet with students who have multiple Cs or a D to help develop a plan for improvement, but will be happy to meet with anyone if there are concerns. It is also important that your student reach out to their individual teachers, guidance counselor, and the Center for Advising and Academic Success for advice on how to improve. This is also a good time for students to evaluate whether they should be attending tutorials more often.

Residence Halls Closing & Opening:

Just a quick reminder that the Residence Halls will be closing once before our next update:

• Closed Friday, September 26th at 5:00pm. Opens Sunday, October 5th at noon.

• Closed Friday, October 31st at 5:00pm. Opens Monday, November 3rd at noon.

CCs will confirm that all students have submitted an Orah pass at their weekly hall meeting. On this pass, students should indicate where they are going for the break, who they are traveling with, and how they are getting to their location.