Herald-Sun Article

Below is an article written for the Herald-Sun about the new chancellor.  You can also read it at http://www.ncssm.edu/drupal/?q=news/new-chancellor-takes-helm-science-and-math.
 
New chancellor takes helm at Science and Math

By Matthew E. Milliken
The Herald-Sun

DURHAM - English majors, take note. One of your own has now become leader of the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics.
Todd Roberts, 46, began working Monday as chancellor of Science and Math, a tuition-free, state-run residential high school for juniors and seniors that is one of 17 University of North Carolina system campuses. Although he has no formal science or math training, the Durham native says he has enough of an appreciation of the fields to lead the school.
"While I certainly couldn't go in and teach computational chemistry, I certainly understand the importance and the value [of] these courses and the type of education we offer students here at Science and Math," said Roberts, who was appointed chancellor by university governors in August.
Since then, Roberts has spent around nine days on campus during multiple visits. He has also been in regular contact with Tom Williams, the former Granville County public schools superintendent who has been serving as interim chancellor.
Williams will remain at Science and Math the rest of the week as Roberts picks up the reins as the fourth chancellor of the 30-year-old high school.
Roberts spent the past four years as superintendent of the Ann Arbor, Mich., public school system, which educates about 16,000 students.
"This obviously in size is a smaller scale ... and I think I'll be able to be more directly involved in the day-to-day of the school in working hopefully more closely with the faculty and staff and students," Roberts said.
The former English teacher would also like to continue the current cordial relations with Science and Math's neighbors, who have at times been suspicious of the school.
Roberts said that the $7 million Reynolds East building could begin construction almost as soon as the state appropriates funds for it. The mixed-use structure, labeled "Reynolds addition" in some plans and slated to go in the campus' southeast corner, is the first part of a projected Discovery Center expansion.
But it is not clear when funding might become available. Like other UNC institutions, Science and Math is preparing for a 10 percent cut to its 2011-12 budget, a potential loss of about $2 million. While Roberts' priority is to maintain academic excellence for students at the school and in its distance-learning programs, he did not sugarcoat the implications of a reduction of that size.
"It would definitely have an impact in what we can offer in terms of our academic program as well as the student life components that we have for the school," Roberts said.
He noted that the school does not charge tuition or fees, which other campuses have the option of raising to offset at least some of state funding cuts.
Roberts may fight cuts in part by reminding legislators that his school's mission involves more than educating its 700 on-campus students and 900 or so video-based students scattered across 21 counties. The new chancellor will continue Science and Math's endeavors to train North Carolina public school teachers.
"As the state looks at bolstering STEM education across the state, I think we clearly have a role to play in helping to do that," Roberts said, using an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
On a personal note, Roberts has moved into the school-furnished off-campus apartment once occupied by his predecessor. Gerald Boarman left this year after a decade in office to become head of a private Maryland school.
But Roberts' family will remain in Ann Arbor until next summer. That will keep their four children, who range in age from 3 to 8, from having to switch schools midyear. It will also allow the couple time to sell their home and Roberts' wife time to find work in Durham. Arleen Song is an obstetrician and gynecologist who has a University of Michigan faculty appointment.
For the chancellor, a Northern High School alumnus, his new job is literally a return to his birthplace -- the old Watts Hospital, which now houses the School of Science and Mathematics.
"It's hard to know exactly where that place was with all the time and renovations," Roberts said when asked if he had visited the spot where he was born. He intends to make his way to the old nursery over the coming weeks.
Roberts holds a bachelor's degree in English from Duke and master's and doctorate degrees in education from UNC Chapel Hill. He and his wife were both interested in returning to the Triangle in part because of health issues involving their parents.
As superintendent, Roberts was credited with bringing stability to an Ann Arbor district that was plagued with turbulent board meetings and also struggling to complete a new high school that was over budget and one year behind schedule.

November Calendar

Here is the November hall calendar.  I will be posting the list of needed supplies in a few days.  Though November is short, we have several activities.  I am especially excited about the hall beach trip the weekend of the 12th.  I encourage all of the students to take advantage of of this great opportunity, and I would like to say thank you once again to Kathy Boyd for donating the use of their beach house to the hall.  Please let me know if you have questions about the calendar. 

Miniterm Planning!

I wanted to give you all a heads up that students are now beginning to prepare for miniterm.  There was a required miniterm course fair today during the meeting block where students had to look into different options.  Basically, miniterm is a week and a half long period in which students do not take normal classes and instead focus on a special study option.  There are 3 basic options for students--they can either participate in a course on campus (teachers offer a wide variety), participate in an off campus trip, or propose an independent project to study a topic of their own design.  Some of the courses and all of the off campus trips involve an extra expense, so please be sure to talk to your daughter about what she is interested in doing for miniterm and a possible budget for her miniterm experience.  Miniterm in general is a little more relaxed than normal and can actually be a lot of fun, so it is something to look forward to.

4 Reports

This year, NCSSM issues a new policy with something called 4 Reports.  These reports are meant to give students advanced warning if they are in danger of failing a class.  Please see detailed information below about 4 reports, what they mean, and the appropriate action to take if your student receives a 4 report.

New Reporting Period:  The “4REPORT”

Between Mid-Term Progress Reports and Term Report Cards, NCSSM has an additional progress reporting process for students who are struggling.  Seniors and their parents are familiar with “Supplemental Evaluations” from last year.  This year, we are replacing the Supplemental Evaluation with an enhanced process to review students who have a 50% or greater liklihood of receiving a failing grade (D or U) in a course.  Our goal is to ensure that students, parents and other Support Team members (Advisors, SLIs, Counselors) are clearly informed about the circumstances and know what they should do next to help students improve performance and pass courses.

This new process begins with what we call the “4REPORT”.  After reviewing student performance since Mid-Term Progress Reports, teachers will enter a “4” for any student in this situation.  An assessment will not be entered for every student during this special reporting period, just those who are in serious danger of receiving a failing grade.  These may be students who had a mid-term assessment of “3” and who have not improved their performance since that report.  Students who had a mid-term assessment of “1” or “2”, whose performance has slipped to point of threatening their passing grade would also receive a 4REPORT.

When do 4REPORTS come out?

Teachers will enter 4REPORTS for appropriate students by midnight Monday, October 18^th.  The reports will be reviewed by Academic Deans, the Dean of Counseling and the Vice Chancellors for Academic Programs and Student Life the morning of Tuesday, October 19^th and will become visible to students, parents, and other support team members by the end of that day.  Counselors will also send an email to affected students, as well as parents and Support Team members, for the student to set up an appointment and to begin the work that can help the student achieve a passing grade in the course.

What do we do next?

Students who receive a 4REPORT should respond immediately to their Counselor’s email to set up an appointment.  The Counselor, along with the rest of the Support Team, is ready to support the student in identifying and implementing immediate, specific actions to help the student meet the requirements for passing the course and preparing for success in subsequent terms.

Parents are encouraged to contact the Counselor to discuss ways to support the student’s efforts.  Continue to provide the parental support and expectations that have contributed to the student’s success in the past and to work with the Counselor and other members of the Support Team to help students complete their work at the highest level of which they are capable.

NCSSM students come to us with a proven record of academic achievement and we are confident of the ability of every student to succeed.  We hope that the 4REPORT process will provide additional information that students, parents, and Support Team members need to maximize that success at NCSSM.

What time is it? It's EXAM time!

I am sure you are all aware of this, but exams start in ONE WEEK!  I know for many students this is a stressful, busy time.  It can be especially troublesome for juniors who have never experienced an exam week with this level of academics before.  Many do not know what to expect, and that in itself is enough to stress some people out.  I just want to provide some information for you here so that you will be well informed about the exam schedule, study policies, stress relievers, and other pertinent information.
Exam Schedule:  Below is a copy of the schedule.  I encourage parents to be aware of when students have exams so that they will not disturb them during a test.

Morgue Hours:  For exam week, we have special quiet hours called "morgue hours" with the idea being that during the time when people are actually taking exams, the school should be as quiet as a morgue.  It is a little big of a joke because we are an old hospital.  Below, I have posted a copy of the guidelines and times of morgue hours so that you will be aware of what we ask of students during that week.

Guidelines:

1.   Residence halls are to be extremely quiet at all times except that hour when Quiet Hours are lifted from 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM weekdays.

2.  Coed/group studying before 10:30 PM in Bryan, Hill and Hunt Lobbies, Ground Bryan/Beall, the Student Center, library group rooms, Bryan labs, and available classrooms

3. Group study after 10:30 PM in hall lounges and student rooms with doors closed and in residence hall lobbies

(Studying takes precedence over TV viewing)

4. Group or individual study between 12:00 AM and 1:00 AM in residence hall lobbies with SLI permission.

5. The library must remain quiet for individuals who wish to study.

6. Socializing and group study in the hallways is prohibited. 

7. Sounds of group study must not be heard outside of room or lounge doors.

8. Curfew has been changed to 8:30 p.m. Thursday and Monday.  All other curfews, including in-room remain in effect.

9. Discuss and agree on music/headphone use.  Be respectful of your roommate(s) & hall mates!

Stress Relievers: Each exam night at 8:30pm we will be having a stress reliever and a snack break on hall.  This is a great time for students to have a break from studying, get a snack, be loud, and just have a good time.  I encourage the girls to take breaks from their studying, get plenty of sleep, and take advantage of all the review sessions and group study sessions that are offered. 

I hope that gives you some good information about exams.  Let me know if you have questions of concerns.  Even though exams can be stressful, everyone will make it through.  The school gives plenty of time to study and prepare so as long as the students take advantage of the opportunities offered and make good use of their time, they will be fine.

October in Review

October has flown by her on the NCSSM campus.  We have been so busy on hall and around campus!  I just wanted to highlight for you a few of the events that we have had on hall and campus wide this month.

• We made Halloween treat bags so that the candy fairy would visit and bring us treats every day!
• We painted pumpkins to decorate the hall for fall and Halloween.
• We had a Harry Potter movie marathon in the lounge.
• We celebrated "Face Your Fears" day where we talked about what we were afraid of and then figuratively faced our fears by making a representation of them from food and eating them.
• We celebrated "Evaluate your Life" day by reflecting on the past, taking an honest look at the present, and setting goals for the future.  
• We watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" with our brother hall.
• We attended the NC State Fair and helped to break the million person attendance record for the first time in fair history.
• We hosted Shay Kelley from project 50/50 on campus and got to hear about her amazing experiences traveling the country and giving to the homeless.  
• We celebrated domestic violence awareness month and breast cancer awareness month with many campus wide initiatives.  
• The theater department put on the first production of the year "Radio X: Dispatches from Mid-Century America" which is described as "A new adaptation for the stage by the NCSSM Theater program brings to life the world as it may have been heard through the radio of the 1940s.  Against the backdrop of the Second World War, Radio X takes a patchwork of stories, advertisements, and news from the airwaves and imagines them live on stage.   Journey to Berlin, Times Square and Mars!  Solve mysteries!  And explore the gender roles, products, and headlines of the day.  Part reenactment, part celebration of a lost art, Radio X promises laughter, romance, drama and a unique way to experience a vanishing medium and the period it once dominated."
• NCSSM hosted an exhibit called “Pictures at an Exhibition” by artist Nick Meglin that featured drawings of famous composers. 
• Our sports teams, including men's soccer, cross country, tennis, and volleyball have all had amazing seasons and are now participating in conference and state tournaments.
• We had our alumni weekend on campus with reunions for the classes of 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005.

That is just scratching the surface of all the things we have had going on this month, and we still have one week left until November.  The student still have trick or treating on campus and the Halloween dance to look forward to.  Oh, and don't forget about exams.  This is without a doubt one of the busiest times on campus, but also one of the most fun.

Dr. Todd Roberts is here!

Hi Parents,
I just wanted to give you a brief update to let you know that today, Nov. 25th, was Chancellor Roberts first official day on campus!  For the rest of this week, he will be working closely with Dr. Tom Williams to make the transition between the two as seamless as possible.  We are all excited to finally have Chancellor Roberts on campus full time.