October

We have arrived at the spooky season! This month was very busy for students with the increase in workload, plentiful hall events, and settling fully into NCSSM. We had a huge increase in family donations to the hall that have made for a beautiful new experience in the kitchen as well as our lounges. We are so thankful for all of our Reynolds families! Check on the activity photos to see your students rock out at Karaoke or take the stage during Just Dance, it was lots of fun! I hope we all stay dry for this period of inclement weather and as always, feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. 


Now for some October updates below: 


As students adjust to the rigors 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 Student Activities Coordinator, 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:

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


In preparation for Wednesday’s PSAT administration, we will follow a Wednesday Lab schedule during the day on Monday, Oct. 14th. 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.


Over the next few weeks your students will be receiving a link 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.

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 8th. 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.


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

Students will complete an electronic Extended Sign-Out Form during hall meeting. On this form they indicate where they are going for the break, who they are traveling with, and how they are getting to their destination. If students have specific questions about checkout procedures for Extended Weekends, they should speak to me.



September 


August has zoomed by us! I was glad to see so many new faces as well as old ones return! We had some fun movie nights, food runs, and more that can be seen here on the activity photos tab. We also had a ton of families chip in for hall supplies and snacks this month. I want to give a huge shoutout for that! We appreciate all that y'all do on hall and your support means so much. If you would like to view our hall wish list or our snack sign up, it can be found here as well under the get involved tab .


 Now, let's get to some important September updates! 


Each September, NCSSM invites families to campus for a fun and informative Family Day!  On Saturday, September 14th, 2024, experience a ‘day in the life’ of your student as you walk through a condensed version of their schedule. You’ll envision the excitement of learning as you have the opportunity to meet your student’s instructors, counselors, and other key campus members, all while exploring NCSSM’s interactive classrooms and innovative learning spaces. 


A detailed agenda for Family Day can be found here. In addition to meeting their student’s stellar teachers, families will have a chance to connect with other NCSSM families at the Parent Association hospitality table and visit the school store, where families can snag some awesome merchandise and show their school spirit!  


Families should RSVP by completing this registration form as soon as possible and no later than Wednesday, September 11th.



The NCSSM Durham community is excited to host our annual College Fair on Friday, September 13th, at the end of the academic day from 3:15 to 5:15pm. This is an amazing opportunity for juniors and seniors to learn more about colleges across the country and explore what school might be right for them.

In the past representatives from more than 70 schools from around the country have been available to talk with students and families about their schools, the college admissions process, financial aid, and scholarships. More information about the schools represented at the college fair this year and student requirements for attendance will be shared in the coming weeks.


Now that we have made it to the first extended weekend, students should be getting into the swing of things with classes and life at NCSSM. Around this time students will also notice their workload increasing. It is imperative for them to develop strong time management skills and learn to seek out help as they begin to face these new challenges. If needed, students can reach out to their CC and/or any of the following resources:


As September draws to a close, faculty across campus will be completing grading assignments to release progress reports for students on September 20. To view student progress reports, families will need to log into Blackbaud and select the “progress” tab. Families will then click “report cards” to open all the progress reports for the year and select either “Semester 1 - Durham” or “Semester 1 - Durham (no comments),” depending on whether they want to view grades and teacher feedback, or just grades.


If families have concerns about their student’s performance, then please reach out to their student’s CC. CCs 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 students reach out to their individual teachers, 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.


Just a quick reminder that the Residence Halls will be closing twice during September.

Students will complete an electronic Extended Sign-Out Form during hall meeting.  On this form they indicate where they are going for the break, who they are traveling with, and how they are getting to their destination.  If students have specific questions about checkout procedures for Extended Weekends, they should reach out to their CC.



August / Welcome Letter 

WELCOME TO NCSSM. WE ARE SO EXCITED TO HAVE YOU ON REYNOLDS 1E2E2D!! 

Hall Theme: Winx Club 

Who is emailing you? -- My name is Melani Harden and I will be the Community Coordinator for Reynolds 1e2e2d! I mostly go by my nickname, Mello. I am a graduate of UNCG and University of Maryland. I love my dog, anime, and horror movies. This is my third year here so I am ready to rock n roll. There is a lot of information to cover in August to please make sure to review this email thoroughly. Please reach out to me if you have any questions. I hope to see you all soon!


If you need to get in touch with me, I am most reachable by email at melani.harden@ncssm.edu. I check my email often and will always respond within 24 hours. I can also be reached by call or text message at 919-416-2739.  I am an avid user of google chat so feel free to use that as a resource to contact me as well. Please remember that I am often on duty until the early morning (I work the night shift), so please avoid calling before 12:00pm unless it is an emergency. Your students will see me on hall and can always feel free to come talk to me! I live on Reynolds 1E if they need anything.


I will be hosting a Family Meeting via zoom on August 6th and 6:30pm. This will be an opportunity for us to meet before move-in day. Families and students are welcome to attend. I will be reviewing information concerning what a Community Coordinator is, some basic expectations regarding residential life on campus, and giving families an opportunity to pose questions. I look forward to seeing you there!  


I wanted to make sure everyone knows what to expect from me in regards to regular hall updates. On the 1st of each month I will post an update to the blog section of the hall google site and send an email alerting you that the update is live. These posts will include recaps of the past few weeks on hall, updates on major hall and campus events, reminders about upcoming events and deadlines, and photos of the student experience on campus. Throughout the month I will also add more photos to the photos section of the hall site.


For move-in we strongly encourage students and families to label all of their belongings. There are a lot of individuals moving around campus on move-in day and sometimes items are misplaces. Labeled belongings are much easier to reunite with their owners, so please be sure to label all items with your name, residence hall, and room assignment. 

I am sure that everyone has already received this information, but please double check while you are packing to confirm that you are not bringing any items on our prohibited items list. You will be asked to take them back home if you arrive on campus with them. 


Feel free to review the following resource to get a better idea of room layouts. Please note that while we provide general measurements for each residence hall, each room is unique and variations exist in room dimensions. You should use these measurements as a general guide only. We are unable to provide specific measurements for each room.


Hall support comes in many different ways. It is always appreciated and makes for a strong support system to help build our community. Some direct ways to support the hall are through our wish list. Our wish list has cleaning supplies, snacks, hall decor, etc. If there are things you want to send or bring for the hall that are not on the list, that is always welcomed. I also always encourage families to sign up for our hall snack! This sign up will soon be updated with dietary restrictions and allergies of all students. 

For many students their time at NCSSM will be the first time they have experienced sharing a room with someone. It is natural for there to be some growing pains as students adjust their habits and learn to live together. For this reason we encourage students to spend their first few weeks getting to know one another and discussing their sleep habits, study preferences, and what makes them feel comfortable in their shared space. After the first extended roommates will work together to craft a roommate agreement; this agreement will outline how they will respect one another’s space, accommodate each other's sleep and study habits, what they can borrow and share with each other, and how they will keep their room clean. The agreement is a living document and can be revisited as needed throughout the year.


While we hope that all students will get along well, it is possible that your students develop a conflict with their roommate that they have trouble navigating on their own. If this occurs you or your student should let their CC know. We will work with the students to mediate the conflict and work towards a mutual resolution. It is imperative that you speak only to your student about any conflict they are having, do not contact the other student or their family. If the conflict continues the CC may ask that the students work with either the Assistant Director or Director of Housing and Residence Life to continue working towards a solution. NCSSM operates at full occupancy; therefore, room changes are not easy to accommodate. it. No room changes will be approved during the 1st quarter of the school year. Changing rooms is considered only if all conflict resolution options have been exhausted, a space is available, and the move is considered a positive step for all parties involved. For these reasons, a room change should not be viewed as a likely outcome to resolve a conflict.

CCs are available 24 hours a day to assist your students. The Bryan CC desk is staffed each day from 7:30am to 1:00am. All other CC building offices are staffed beginning at 6:30pm each day. Outside of these hours there will always be 2 CCs on call while students are on campus. The contact numbers for the on-call CCs are posted at each CC desk and can be viewed here. If your student has an emergency they are encouraged to reach out to the on duty CCs. 


NCSSM also has Campus Safety Officers available 24 hours. They can be contacted at 919-416-2911.
 

Student Health, often referred to as the Clinic, is located on the first floor of the Hunt Residence Hall. The Clinic is staffed by a nurse, medical assistant, and a family nurse practitioner. Our medical director oversees the Clinic’s daily operation and is present in the Clinic one day a week. The Clinic is staffed and equipped to manage most acute and chronic illnesses that occur while students reside at NCSSM. Common over-the-counter medications, bandages, splints, and crutches are dispensed at no additional charge to students. Prescriptions, if required, can be picked up from a local pharmacy. Some problems may require additional care, in which case students are referred to area professionals. Families will be notified if this referral is necessary. 


Students are prohibited from keeping certain types of prescription medications in their rooms (e.g., narcotics, psychotropics, stimulants). These medications must be retained and distributed by the Clinic. Students may keep over-the-counter medications in their rooms for their personal use (e.g., pain relievers, cold medications, stomach remedies, herbal remedies, vitamins, etc.).


The clinic is open Monday - Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm. After hours and on the weekends students can reach out to CCs on duty for help; the CCs will contact a 24 hour telephone nursing service called Healthlink to seek advice on how to aid your student.

Students may schedule telehealth appointments and in-person appointments, as well as medication drop-off/pick-up appointments. The Clinic is not open to drop-in appointments as it has been in the past.


As students prepare for the first extended weekend it is important to understand that we use a special sign out for these weekends away from NCSSM:


Please check out the family meeting from August 6th here. There is a lot of good information that will help throughout the semester! Please as always feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns. I am excited for this year and all the good things to come!