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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
Quick Links:
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June–August
  • Families will receive the Student Response Form and Parent Response Form to complete in advance of meeting with the High School Placement Counselor. Please fill out the forms and email the High School Placement Counselor to set up your one-hour appointment to begin the high school application process. We set aside time in June and August for these meetings with families. We will use the response forms to discuss an appropriate list of schools for you to consider.
  • Students should begin to check websites and call the schools they are interested in and request application forms, open house dates and schedule visits, if possible. All schools have information online, and students may be able to get a sense of the schools and gather information they need this way. Find school websites.
  • Create a timeline grid for your family to manage all the important dates in this process.  Include open houses, test dates, and visit dates as well as application deadlines. You might also include family events, holidays and major school assignments.

September–December
  • Admission Checklist and Timeline
    • Attend open houses.
    • Visit schools, and begin working on applications.
    • Submit necessary forms to the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
    • November 2, 2008
      • Recommendation Forms due. Two signed sets, do NOT complete checkboxes.
    • December 14, 2008
      • In writing, parents must inform Nueva of the schools to which their child is applying.
      • Signed Transcript Release for each school due. Do NOT complete checkboxes.

January–February
  • Submit application and financial aid materials to schools. Most independent school deadlines are in early January, but check the school's website to confirm exact dates.
  • Nueva will hold a group meeting with parents after the application deadline to debrief them on the process and take a look at what will happen in March, e.g., acceptances, wait lists, etc...

March
  • In general, day schools notify applicants of decisions by early March and families have one week to notify schools of their decisions.
  • Boarding schools will notify families slightly earlier, and allow a longer time for making a decision.

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.