Welcome Issue
Parent & §tucjent give
advice to junior parents
BY ANNA AND LINDA MORRISON
Your child’s experience at NCSSM can
be an extremely rewarding experience not
only for them, but also for you. Here are some
ways you as parents can help make Science
and Math one of the best experiences of your
child’s life, despite the obstacles they might
face.
Homesickness
For most of you, this is the first time that
you are living without your child for an ex
tended period of time. He or she may experi
ence homesickness to some degree. One way
to handle homesickness is to postpone visits,
particularly at the beginning of the year. This
will help your child learn how to deal with
many of the routines you used to handle (such
as money management and laundry.) Week
end visits or letters indicating how much you
miss them may inhibit their learning
experience...particularly that of independence.
Homesickness is the most prevalent reason
students leave, not grades.
Academics
The academic requirements are different
than that of a regular high school. PLEASE
understand that your child may not make the
high grades that they used to make. Also the
first few weeks away will put a strain on their
academic performance. Reassurance from you
can help if your child calls home upset about
a grade. Remind them that they are in a very
different environment, and that help is readily
available. One of the greatest things about
NCSSM is that there is no class ranking so
competition exists only within your child, and
other students are more than willing to help
each other.
Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities are a vital part
of the NCSSM community. Over 90% of stu
dents participate in Intramurals, half are in
volved in a sport or club, and popular week
end events, such as Coffeehouse, are widely
attended. These are the ways that many stu
dents meet their closest friends and enjoy their
company. The best part is that parents are in
volved in and helped make possible many of
these activities by way of the Parents’ Coun
cil.
Parent Interaction
There are many opportunities to visit
NCSSM. Chorus, band, and orchestra hold
weekend concerts so parents can see their
child perform. The Drama Club presents its
plays on weekends as well. Many sports, such
as soccer and baseball, have weekend games
so parents can support their child and the team.
Living away from home does not mean that
your child is living completely away from
you.
Weekends:
Stay on campus
BY AMY Chen
Most people feel some touch of home
sickness when they get to Science and Math
and want to go home to their families those
first few weeks. But that is about the worst
thing that you can do.
These first weeks are when you are go
ing to make connections with the people who
will become your friends. Like any other
school, NCSSM also has its version of cliques.
The cliques here may not be as tight and ex
clusive as they may have been at your old
school but they are still there. And it may be
difficult to break into one once established.
For the first month or two, try to stay in
school on the weekends. These first few
months will be the most entertaining since it
is when you will be meeting everyone and
the most will be going on. P m not saying that
going home for a weekend or two will ruin
your social life. But it is much easier to meet
everyone while they are still in the “Hi! My
name is...’’ mood.
Also, often teachers will assign long-term
group projects and if you are not here on the
weekends, it makes it impossible for the group
to get together and complete the project. With
everyone having such busy schedules during
the week, the weekend may be the only time
for your group to meet.
The people who complain most and have
the least amount of fun at NCSSM are the
people who insist on going home every week
end. They miss a lot while they’re gone.
Counseling Services
By Gail Hudson
With much excitement, the Counseling
Services staff looks forward to interacting
with you as we work together for an academi
cally and personally gratifying NCSSM jour
ney.
We’ 11 meet with each of you in our Coun
seling Services sessions during orientation.
You and your parents are encouraged to at
tend College Eve on Sept 26th during the
NCSSM Family Weekend. Please make a note
that, as soon as life settles down, we’d love
for you to make an appointment to see your
counselor. Your counselor wants to provide
you with support and assistance as you make
emotional, social and academic adjustments.
Our staff offers personal counseling in
individual and group settings, academic coun
seling, college planning, and special-topic
group sessions. We welcome you to share your
needs and concerns with us and to let us know
how we can help you as you adjust to your
new life at NCSSM.
Starting Sept 29th, our office is open until
7 p.m. Monday -Thursday. During that time,
college representatives come in to meet with
students. This time is good to meet with rep
resentatives individually or in small groups
to get questions answered and to find out all
you want to know about certain schools.
Watch our bulletin board on the Reynolds
Breezeway to find out who is coming when,
as well as to read about other pertinent infor
mation from the Counseling Services Office.
Pages
Not your typical math class
_ BY Peggy Craft
When you sign up for a math class at
NCSSM, be prepared for it to be unlike any
math class you’ve ever taken before. The rig
orous math curriculum uses tools and tech
nology for solving problems and creates op
portunities for students to experience the pro
cess of attacking problems and discovering
ideas independently. The trick is to make its
differences work for you.
NCSSM math makes
frequent use of technology,
so learn how to make effec
tive use of it! To use tech
nology with a problem that’s
better done without it will
(at best) waste your time-
the same applies if you
avoid technology when the
problem calls for it.
Math problems always
require thought, don’t just
“do the problems like we
did them in class.” Teachers
often set the stage for you
to discover ideas, rather than just tell you
about them. Be sure you understand why, not
just how! And remember that math problems
often have more than one “right” answer, so
don’t cheat yourself by taking shortcuts.
NCSSM-written math books (Precalcu
lus and Calculus I and II) are well written and
you may be expected to learn by reading them.
Math problems
always require
thought, don't
just "do the
problems like we
did them in
class."
reading and take notes. It’s a valuable skill to
take off to college and into the real world.
Classes are highly interactive. You can
stay involved by asking good questions, vol
unteering to present homework problems, and
getting involved in class discussions. Take
notes during class and transcribe them each
evening as part of your homework time.
Classes also usually contain a lot of group
work, both in class and for outside assign
ments. Learn how to
work effectively in this
setting: focus on com
munication, be clear
about setting tasks and
meeting times, listen
and talk with respect,
and be sure everyone in
the group understands
the whole project. If
you have trouble with
your group, ask for
help immediately.
These classes al
most always move
quickly. As soon as you
feel confused, ask for help. Get clarification
on any concepts, techniques or technology
that you don’t understand. Don’t wait until
you are feeling lost.
NCSSM is a wonderful place for the stu
dent who wants to learn how to think. If
NCSSM isn’t working for you, ask for help.
Communicating your needs is an important
Take enough time, think about what you are skill for every student to learn.
Jeremy Kindy, Ashley Forde, Neda Burapavong, and Patty Chen enjoy Calculus class with
teacher John Goebel.
PARENTS ARE
ENCOURAGED TO KEEP A
COPY OF THIS ISSUE.