3B Profiles-Alexandria

We are starting a new tradition for the blog.  About once a week, we will be posting a profile of one of the girls on hall.  They can choose how they want to share, through a bio, artwork, interview, video, or other means, but everyone will have a chance to share who they are and something about themselves.  Alexandria was brave and volunteered to go first, so a big thank you to her for sharing!

Hello! I’m Alexandria. I am originally from Tallahassee, FL but lived in Fayetteville when I was accepted into Science and Math. My birthday is in January, making me a Capricorn. My hobbies include learning about personality astrology, doing Pilates and Yoga and learning languages (I fluently speak Spanish and am working on making my Portuguese as good as my Spanish. I hope to learn Chinese and ASL in the near future.) I’m bad at spelling in any language. My favorite class is Psychology; I love understanding the underlying meanings behind behavior. This year, I am proud the be the coordinator of Latin America Fest, the Co-President of the Emily K Tutoring Club and the founder/president of an NCSSM tutoring club, which has yet to be named. I am also an official Physics TA and an unofficial Writing and American Studies mentor.  Volunteering and working with children have got to be two of my most favorite things ever; I cannot explain the joy that I feel when interacting with a young child. I hope to study at Harvard, enroll in an MD/PhD program and open a holistic medical center as a primary care physician. I dream of mine is to travel to every Latin American country and submerge myself in the way of life of the country’s inhabitants. I would describe myself as laid back, mature, and focused. A perfect day for me would be Saturday, sleeping in and watching telenovelas. Currently my favorite shows are The Walking Dead, Mad Men and Laura. I enjoy listening to all music genres, but my absolute favorites are Reggaeton and Bachata. A big pet peeve of mine is ungrateful and entitled people; working hard, being appreciative and earning what you have has always had value in my life. My best friend is my mom; I prefer her company to many and can tell her pretty much anything. I am very happy to live on 3^rd Bryan this year and was thrilled to see how receptive and open everyone was.

Family Weekend Resturaunt Options

Since many of you will hopefully be joining us this weekend for Family Day and College Eve, I thought some dining suggestions might be helpful for you.  I have broken these up into a couple different categories, so hopefully everyone can find something that interests them.

Student Favorites:

Families, if you want to experience what the students have when they go off campus, try some of these student favorites that are within walking distance of the school.

1) Bali Hai--Easily one of the most popular restaurants with our students, this reasonably priced Mongolian grill offers great opportunities for showing off you food stacking skill as you fill your own bowl with ingredients. http://www.balihainc.com/

2) Elmo's Diner--A classic diner that offers breakfast all day.  Be sure to color a duck if you go.  http://elmosdiner.com/

3) Cosmic Cantina--Cosmic offers fresh, cheap Mexican food, with a quirky, hole-in-the-wall atmosphere. Be sure to note the stairs leading up to the restaurant that were painted as a miniterm project by former NCSSM students.  http://www.cosmiccantina.com/

Driving Needed:

If you want to be really nice to your student and take them somewhere they don't usually get to go because it requires driving, try some of these favorites.

1) Only Burger--Originally started as a food truck, and has now expanded to a brick and mortar location.  They do awesome burgers (and veggie and turkey burgers) and sides.  No frills, but good food.  Bonus: Tutti Frutti, a frozen yogurt store is right next door.  http://onlyburger.com/ and http://www.tfyogurt.com/

2) Shanghai Chinese--A little classier than the normal chinese delivery the students get at the school and a Durham staple for over 20 years.  http://www.shanghaidurham.com/

3) Mellow Mushroom--Who doesn't want some awesome pizza?  Mellow mushroom is located in the American Tobacco District (with a ton of other great places), right beside the Durham Bulls stadium.  http://mellowmushroom.com/store/durham/menu/14/pizza

Unique Durham:

These places are unique Durham Favorites, and a little more upscale than students might do on a regular basis.  These might be a special treat for your student.

1) Pizzaria Toro--Offers wood fired pizzas with a unique combination of topics, and has been named one of the top 100 resturaunts in the south as well as being featured in the Southern Living article naming Durham "South's Tastiest Town" this year.  http://www.pizzeriatoro.com/

2) Watts Grocery--Located less than a block from the school, this classy resturaunt uses fresh, local ingredients in their unique creations.  http://www.wattsgrocery.com/

3) NanaTaco--Offers wonderful, quirky taco creations.  Check out the "dirty meats" section of their menu for some of the more interesting options.  http://nanataco.com/

4) Dame's Chicken and Waffles--They are almost world famous, just like it says on their website.  Their chicken and waffles are everything the southern classic should be.  It gets busy, but is delicious.  http://dameschickenwaffles.com/

These are only a very few of the astounding number of dining options available in Durham.  The Durham food scene has exploded recently, and there are too many options to even keep up with them all.  I would suggest you check out this map of the 9th Street District (right beside the school) http://www.dcvb-nc.com/comm/ninth_street_map.pdf or this map of the greater Downtown area http://www.durham-nc.com/resources/pdf/dt_map_web-only.pdf for more suggestions or options too.  

And last, here is the link to the article naming us South's Tastiest Town, if you are interested: http://www.southernliving.com/travel/tastiest-town-durham-north-carolina-00417000082305/.

Family Day Lunch

This Saturday for Family Day, we would like to invite all 3rd Bryan residents and families to sit together at lunch on the Bryan Lawn.  The plan if for families to get food at the food truck, in the PFM, or off campus, whichever they want, and then meet between 11:30am and 1pm to socialize and get to know one another.  Just look for a big group of us together on the lawn.  Please consider bringing a dessert to share.  We hope to see many of you there.

Paint Fight

Here are some great pictures from our paint fight today with 2nd Hill.  It was messy but fun!

September Hall Calendar

Below is a copy of our hall calendar for September (click on the picture to enlarge it).  We are keeping the girls busy this month, but there are a lot of exciting opportunities.  We have several programs with other halls, some serious programs like our "Understanding 9/11" program, and some programs are just for fun like "Talk Like a Pirate Day".  One of my favorites is that since no one on hall has a birthday in September, we are doing an "Un-Birthday Party", Alice in Wonderland style.  (If you don't know what I am talking about, see the video below.)  We hope there is something fun for everyone!  Please let me know if you have questions about anything on the calendar.

College Eve and Family Day!

3B Families,
I am excited to announce that September 13th is college eve and September 14th is family day!  We hope that you all will be able to join us on campus that weekend and get a little better idea of your student's class schedule and routine here at NCSSM.
Below are the tentative schedules for those days, and please keep an eye out for more information from me about a dessert reception for the 3B families on Saturday afternoon.

COLLEGE EVE--Friday, September 13, 2013

• 3:30pm to 4:30pm Seniors & their parents only in the gym with College Reps 
• 4:30pm to 6:30pm All are invited in the gym with College Reps (Seniors & their parents may remain in gym.) 
• Attendance at the event is required for ALL students, and parents are encouraged to attend. 
• There will be concurrent session with individual colleges who have a large draw, about helping students through the application process from afar, and about the college financial aid process.  The final schedule and location for these events will be provided to families as the event gets closer.

This is the tentative agenda for Family Day, so please make sure to keep an eye out for updated schedules, but this can give you some idea of the schedule for the day.  Again, families are encouraged to come, but not required.

FAMILY DAY - September 14, 2013

TENTATIVE AGENDA

8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Registration Bryan Center    

Pick up a copy of your student’s class schedule and learn more about the Parent Council, the Annual Fund and volunteer opportunities. Coffee, pastries and other breakfast items will be available for purchase from a local food truck vendor as well as from our cafeteria.

8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Musical Prelude ETC Auditorium

Enjoy performances by students enrolled in NCSSM’s outstanding Fine Arts Department.

9:00 – 9:30 a.m. Welcome from the Chancellor ETC Auditorium
J. Todd Roberts, Ed.D.

9:40 – 11:15 a.m. Morning Classes

For specific locations and times, see the copy of your student’s class schedule. Campus Classrooms

Student Life Division – SL 101 & Physical Activity ETC Lecture Hall

Note that your student may not have classes in all blocks. In the morning, please use any free blocks to visit with Physical Activity Instructors and Student Life Instructors.

Session 1 – 9:40 – 10:00 a.m.

Session 2 – 10:05 – 10:25 a.m.

Session 3 – 10:30 – 10:50 a.m.

Session 4 – 10:55 – 11:15 a.m.

11:15 – 12:00 p.m. College Counseling ETC Auditorium

Overview of the College Admission Strategy

11:00 a.m. – 1:00p.m.   LUNCH                             

Liv's Food Truck and Captain Poncho's Tacos will be available on campus for lunch purchases

1:00 – 3:30 p.m. Afternoon and Evening Classes Campus Classrooms

For specific locations and times, see the copy of your student’s class schedule.

Counselor Availability Campus Classrooms

Note that your student may not have classes in all blocks. In the afternoon, please use any free blocks to meet and visit with your student’s counselor.

Session 1 – 1:00 – 1:20 p.m.

Session 2 – 1:25 – 1:45 p.m.

Session 3 – 1:50 – 2:10 p.m.

Session 4 – 2:15 – 2:35 p.m.

Session 5 – 2:40 – 3:00 p.m.

Session 6 – 3:05 – 3:25 p.m.

Burger – ETC Woolworth Room | Hackney – Library Mezzanine | Hudson – Watts REX Lab |

Rodman – PEC Classroom | Webster – ETC Lecture Hall | Younes – Hunt Classroom

3:00p.m. Afternoon Social Bryan Lawn

Join Chancellor Roberts and members of the NCSSM community for a casual reception.

ALL DAY Personal appointments to discuss concerns

Teachers, counselors, academic advisors and student life instructors may be contacted in advance to arrange a personal appointment during Family Day or some other mutually convenient time. Note that counselors will also have “drop-in availability as indicated.

College Planning Information

Seniors and Senior Families,
Below are some FAQs about college planning from our counseling department that I thought you might find helpful.  This also includes information about when SAT and ACT tests are being offered and other important dates for the college application process.  Seniors were also sent a tremendously helpful document called the "Senior College Planning Calendar" which gives them deadlines, tips, and helpful advice broken up by month.  Please make sure to take advantages of all the resources available as you embark on the college application process, and let me know if you have any questions.  I will be glad to help if I can or point you in the direction of someone who can help you.

What is our class size?  318

What is our GPA scale?  5.0

When will transcripts have our First Trimester senior grades?   Nov. 7, 2013

Whom do you see for fee waivers for college app's, SAT or ACT?

Mrs. Oxendine

What grades are on our transcripts if we apply early action or early decision? 9th-11th grades only

The common application only gives us 10 spaces for our classes. What do we do? 

Prioritize your classes and combine as many as you can on one line. Counseling Services will send your entire senior schedule with your transcript.

Do we list 400 level classes as AP?

Only list classes that are titled AP as AP classes. All other academic courses are Honors. 

Do we calculate our own unweighted GPA?

No. Most colleges will accept N/A. However, if you absolutely need an unweighted GPA, email your counselor and ask her to calculate it for you.

Which GPA do I put on my application? Use NCSSM's cumulative weighted GPA.

Where can I find financial aid information?

It is listed on the left side of the Naviance home page as fin. aid checklist.  

How far in advance do I request my transcripts?

You must request your transcripts at least two weeks in advance. You may request anytime before that.

How are transcripts processed?

Transcripts are processed in the order of the deadline dates you specify, not by when they are entered. However, since Mrs. Oxendine has so many to process, it is important to make your requests early. 

How can I have access to PCCs to ask them questions?

PCCs will be at your hall meetings frequently to share info and to answer questions. Also, you will often find them in Counseling Services.

Reminders: Please go to Naviance and take a look at the financial aid checklist as well as the scholarship list for information.   

Counselors will facilitate senior, group sessions on the college application process on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 18th, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:30

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SAVE THE DATES:

Sept.  13th    NCSSM College Eve from 3:30 to 6:30

Sept.  18th    Senior, small group sessions

Sept.   21st    ACT @ NCSSM  (Sept. 6th is the late registration deadline.)

Oct.      5th    SAT  @ NCSSM

Oct.    16th     College Application Time  8 a.m.  to  1:00 p.m.

Oct.    26th     ACT   (This is not given on campus because you are in exams.)

Nov.    2nd     SAT  (You are off-campus for Trimester Break.)

Dec.    7th      SAT  @ NCSSM

Dec.   14th      ACT  @ NCSSM

Jan.   23rd      Financial Aid workshop @ NCSSM from 2:00 to 4:00  

Jan.   25th      SAT (You are off-campus for Extended.)

Feb.     8th     ACT  (This is not given on campus because you are in exams.)

Mar.     8th     SAT  (This is not given on campus due to NCSSM's Discovery Day hosting.)

Mar.    19th     Career Expo @ NCSSM from 3:30 to 5:30

Apr.     12th    ACT (You are off-campus for Spring Break.)

May       3rd    SAT @ NCSSM

June      7th    SAT  (You are off-campus for the summer.)

June     14th    ACT (You are off-campus for the summer.)

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