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Nueva Stories

Dice and Randomness

Every now and then we post interesting stories about Nueva and its alums, stories that show some essential quality of Nueva students and education. If you have one, please email it to Matt.

Prior to a freshman World Religions oral exam with twelve potential questions, the teacher informed the class that the students would only need to answer five of the twelve questions, and that he, the teacher, would select the five questions randomly on the day of the test using a pair of dice. 

Most of the students, simmering in a late spring stupor, were prepared to blithely follow these instructions. But one Nueva graduate's hand popped up.

"Excuse me Mr. Brown, this method will not result in random questions. We won't need to study question 1 at all, because it will not occur in a pair of dice, and we would concentrate our studies on question 7, as its probability of occurring is the highest.

"I have a 12-sided die at home and can bring it in if that would be of help to you."

Always thinking, speaking up and engaging in class, thinking mathematically, more interested in learning than in finding the easy way, and, of course, using those SEL skills to be helpful rather than confrontational -- several of the hallmarks of Nueva students.
Nueva Stories
Friday, 10 September 2010
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High School Admissions Process Print E-mail

The high school admissions process can be exciting, thought-provoking, and at times overwhelming. Nueva guides students and parents through the high school application process and strives to make the experience positive and manageable. There are five major components to the high school admissions process: application, grades, school visit and interview, teacher recommendations, and standardized test scores. Below is some preliminary information about the the admissions process to help get you started. Good luck!

Download Nueva High School Information Book (requires Adobe Acrobat, and some time to download -- it's a big file)

Independent School Applications
Public School Applications
Financial Aid
Teacher Recommendations
Grades and Transcripts
Testing
School Visits
Interviews
Deadlines
Wait Lists
Timeline


Independent School Applications
The application is an important part of the overall profile you and your child will present to independent schools. In the application, you will have the opportunity to showcase your child's academic strengths and extra-curricular involvement when you complete the parent form. In addition, students have the chance to express themselves through the personal essay. Carefully read through the applications, be aware of what each school requires and recognize that you may be able to use pieces for more than one application, e.g., child's list of awards/accomplishments, parent statement, goals for your child, etc.

All schools require a student application and some schools also require a parent application. In most cases, the parent portion needs to be submitted prior to the student application. Check to see if schools have a two-part application. The parent application form is your opportunity to describe your child; don't hesitate to applaud your child's accomplishments. Parent essays, unlike student essays, can be done on the computer.

Students need to be aware of presentation when completing the applications. Students are asked to handwrite the applications and neatness always counts! We recommend that students make a few copies of the application and practice filling them out to make sure that the information fits in the space provided. If essays don't fit the allotted space, your student should call and ask the schools if it is ok to add an additional sheet of paper.

We recommend that families use this binder to create a filing system to help organize the brochures, applications and associated paperwork that this process involves. It may be very helpful to have a file for each school.

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Public School Applications
Contact the appropriate district office for regulations governing the public high schools in your area. The San Francisco public high schools fall into several categories. To attend any San Francisco public schools outside your neighborhood, it is necessary to fill out and submit an Optional Enrollment Request. Lowell, School of Arts, Leadership and Gateway are exceptions to this rule. They have their own application forms.

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Financial Aid
All independent and parochial schools offer some type of financial aid and encourage families to apply for it. The procedure and deadlines for application vary from school to school. Information on the specific method used by each school is included in its application packet. Many schools host Financial Aid Workshops to provide information about the process and assistance with filling out forms; we encourage you to attend at least one of these workshops.

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Teacher Recommendations
As part of the application process, each independent school requires a written recommendation from the High School Placement Counselor, a Math and an English (Humanities) teacher. In some cases a 3rd academic teacher recommendation is required. The teacher recommendation forms are found with the school's application materials. Samples are attached. Most public schools do not require written recommendation forms. Some exceptions are Leadership and Gateway High Schools in San Francisco.

If you intend to apply to any independent or parochial schools submit the following by:

  • Friday, November 2, 2009
    • Two (2) signed sets of the Recommendation Forms for Principal/Counselor, English and Math. Do NOT fill in checkboxes.
  • Friday, December 14, 2009
    • Cover letter listing all schools applying to.
    • Signed Transcript release form for each school to which your child is applying. Do NOT fill in checkboxes.

The Assistant to the Middle School will give the forms to the designated teachers, make sure that they are returned in a timely manner, keep a copy for our files and send the completed forms to the high schools. Please remember that no recommendations can be completed until the signed transcript release form is on file.

As you would imagine, our teachers have many recommendation forms to complete in late fall and winter. We would appreciate your sending them along as soon as you are committed to applying to a school along with the covering letter. If you later decide not to apply to a particular school, notify the Assistant to the Middle School so we can pull the forms. We need the signed Transcript release forms no later than Friday, December 14, 2007. The High School Placement counselor and Advisors will fill out the comments on the second page of their form and the entire Middle School team will review them as a group. Math and English (Humanities) teachers will work as teams to complete their forms.

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Grades and Transcripts
Schools require copies of students' grades for the past two years. Schools in the Bay Area as well as boarding schools recognize that Nueva provides written evaluations in the place of letter grades. Once we have received the completed Transcript Release Form (give to the Assistant to the Middle School), we will see to it that your child's transcripts are sent to the appropriate schools.

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Testing
All schools require some form of standardized testing scores as part of the application process. The most frequently used standardized test is the SSAT (Secondary School Admissions Test). We will offer the test at Nueva in November. For more information about the SSAT you can request a student guide from the Secondary School Admissions Test Board by going to www.ssat.org. If your child has a documented learning disability, it is possible to take the SSAT with special accommodations. Please review the SSAT website before contacting the Assistant to the Middle School.

While the SSAT is the most common, some schools accept other tests such as the ERB, STS, ISEE and ACT. Some schools, such as Sacred Heart, do not accept the SSAT. They require the STS and administer this test on their campus. Be sure to check out each individual school admissions test requirements.

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School Visits
The campus visit is an opportunity for our students to shadow a ninth grade student at a high school. This is a time to get a first-hand look at students, teachers, and a taste of the academics and overall school culture. Many schools schedule daylong visits between October and December. However, some schools limit the visit to a designated time slot in the morning or designated days of the week. Be sure to ask about the visit format at each school and make your visit appointments as early as possible.

Nueva will schedule two high school visit days for our 8th grade students. In addition, students will be permitted to take time off from school to complete visits to the schools they are interested in. Students need to let the Assistant to the Middle School and their teachers know when they will miss school for visits and they are responsible for making up all missed work.

Check school websites in August to find out when you can call for appointments. Many schools start booking visits in August. When you call to schedule a visit, you may find that some schools already have visits days booked into October, but there is no need to panic. Go ahead and schedule the earliest convenient visit date and keep in mind that most schools take visitors well into December or January.

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Interviews
The interview component of the application is a chance for one-on-one contact with admissions representatives and gives students a chance to shine. The 8th grade students will receive preparation for what to expect in the admissions interview during our Interview Workshop in the fall. Schools schedule admissions interviews during the day visit or on a separate day. Some schools schedule all student interviews on designated Saturdays or interview students in groups of 2 or 3 at a time. Check with each school about their format for admissions interviews.

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Deadlines
It is important to be aware of individual schools' admissions deadlines. While many schools share similar deadlines, it is always valuable to know specific dates for every school to which you are applying. The Bay Area Independent High Schools use a common application and deadline, but boarding schools and Catholic schools may vary. In general, admissions and financial aid applications, interviews and visits for independent schools must be completed by early January.

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Wait Lists
When admissions decisions are announced in March, families are notified by letter that their child has been accepted, denied or put on a wait list. Admissions Directors sometimes offer a wait-listed student a spot in the class when a family that was previously accepted chooses to enroll elsewhere. However, many schools over enroll and do not draw students from a wait list.

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For more information about The Nueva School's High School Placement Program please contact Cynthia Kosut.
 
Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, The Nueva School is a nationally recognized independent school serving gifted students and emphasizing integrated studies, creative arts, and social-emotional learning. For more than 40 years, Nueva has remained committed to its original vision: to inspire a passion for lifelong learning, foster social and emotional acuity, and develop a child's imaginative mind. Nueva creates a dynamic educational model to enable gifted children to learn how to make choices that will benefit the world.