While First Hunt has continued to stay busy this month, our blog update will not be filled with the number of photos and videos from our hall activities as usual due to my absence over the past two weeks. I wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to 1st Hunt for the flowers and 3 cards filled with messages of appreciation and care. I truly appreciate your support and kindness during this time. I know that the RLAs and CCs such as Ross, Jada (3E), and Janie (Royall), as well as Kori, have all chipped in to keep the ball rolling on 1st Hunt. I know they've been in great hands during my absence. 

Unless something changes, I plan to be back when we return from Fall Break and look forward to reconnecting with 1st Hunt and starting our 1:1 conversations. 

Coming soon and will be completed by 10/11. 

• 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, 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 study breaks

• Block Parties on Hill Street

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

• PSAT:
  NCSSM will be administering the PSAT to the entire junior class on Wednesday, Oct. 21st. 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. 19th. 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.

Seniors - in lieu of the PSAT, we will celebrate you all with a longstanding NCSSM tradition, Senior Breakfast, and take a Class of 2027 photo in the ETC courtyard! Senior Breakfast will begin at 8AM and the photo will take place at 9AM.

• 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.

• 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 13th. 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 about upcoming Residence Hall closings:

• Closed Friday, October 2nd at 5:00pm. Opens Sunday, October 11th at noon.

• Closed Friday, October 30th at 5:00pm. Opens Monday, November 2nd 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.