NFTH: October 14, 2019

When you follow us on our SMH Livestream page, you'll get updates anytime we add an event or update event times and dates. Joining is easy, just follow these steps:

• Go to Livestream.com
• Create an account using your email or connect with Facebook.
• Search for Saint Mary's Hall, and click the "Follow" button on our page.

Once you are on the SMH Livestream page, you can click on the event to watch it live!

Watch It Again!

You can also revisit your student's big moments anytime. After an event, the video is archived on the SMH Livestream channel where you can easily access past events.

“Find out which social media features are cause for concern — no matter which app your kid is using.”

This is taken from the article,  11 Social Media Red Flags Parents Should Know About, by Common Sense Media that gives specific “What to do?” suggestions for dealing with the following topics:

• Ads and in-app purchases
• Age-appropriate content
• Anonymity
• Cyberbullying
• Location tracking and sharing
• Public default settings
• Random video chat
• Real-time video streaming
• Secret chat rooms
• “Temporary” pictures and videos
• Toxic culture

Whether you know it or not, your student is likely using a new app called TikTok, which has become hugely popular among teens lately. Common Sense Media is offering parenting safety tips to give parents helpful information on managing this new app. Click here for more information.

Form 4 students once again made their annual trek to Dixie Dude in scenic Bandera, Texas, for what surely is the highlight of the students' year! Before spending the night in one of the rustic cabins, the kids swam, rode horses, fished, went on nature hikes, were entertained by a trick roper, and ate gooey s'mores under the starlit night sky. Click here to see a video from the event!

Form 2 Teacher Courtney Pierce was the first teacher to take advantage of the new online Collaboratory sign-up form for teachers in the Lower School. After signing up for a time, she collaborated with Lower School Librarian/Instructional Technologist Linda Wells and Lower School Instructional Technologist and Instructional Facilitator Teri Bohlsen to design an appropriate educational experience. When she brought her class in, the students rotated through four stations:

• Lego Challenge Task Cards
• PowerClix Magnetic Constructions
• Osmo Pizza: Augmented Reality Challenge Using Money
• Dash and Dot Robotics with Coding

A checklist kept them on task and afterwards they completed a reflection about what they liked best and what was most difficult. Form 2 students had a fabulous and educational time.

Saint Mary’s Hall Lower School (Forms 1-5) would like to invite family and friends to participate in Veterans Day recognition on Monday, November 11. Please invite family members who are serving or have served in the military to join the Lower School at Morning Moments at 8am in the Coates-Seeligson Theater/Chapel for a special observance. Guests may come in uniform or civilian clothes. If a family member who is currently serving out of the country, another adult is welcomed to come as a representative. Each guest will be asked to tell where and when he or she served.  SMH wishes to honor these wonderful heroes who have given so much to the country.

Form 5 students arrived back at school after a three-day weekend only to discover they were about to transform into army recruits at boot camp – Multiplication Boot Camp, that is. Form 5 Math Teacher Molly Carter said, “Multiplication fact fluency is essential to success in Form 5 math.  From volume to multiplying and dividing fractions to long division and measurement conversions, having basic facts memorized will make these advanced concepts less challenging.”  Form 5 students were given dog tags and camouflage bandanas to wear as they completed eight multiplication stations while listening to “Army Strong.” Skill Sergeant Carter periodically ordered her recruits to solve multiplication facts and then do the same number of push-ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks. It is safe to say our Form 5 students had fun while learning. Mrs. Carter said, “Mission accomplished!”

Click here to see a fun video from Math Boot Camp!

Date/Time: Sunday, October 27, 3pm - 5pm
Location: Alameda Circle in Olmos Park

Kids 4 Kids with Cancer (K4K) invites Saint Mary’s Hall to the 8^th annual Pumpkin Carving Party at Alameda Circle in Olmos Park! Pumpkins, carving tools, games, treats, and prizes will be provided for a $15 donation. This year, there will also be hot dogs, carnival games, face painting, and a donut-eating contest! It’s a great way for families and friends to gather for a good cause.

Started and run by SMH Upper School students, K4K is a 501(3)c charity based in Texas which raises money to support childhood cancer survivors at college. So far, they have raised over $100,000 and awarded more than 50 scholarships. Current senior directors are Elizabeth Adams, Anisha Patibandla, Sarah Dickerson, and Kate Ayers. 

For more information or questions, contact Elizabeth at 20AdamsE@smhall.org Visit their website at kids4kidswithcancer.org.

Check out the Fine Arts Instagram page. This account is a great way to get an up-close and personal look at the day-to-day excitement in these amazing, ever-buzzing programs. In addition, check out Saint Mary’s Hall main social media channels for more Fine Arts news
on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

College Recruiting Do’s and Don’ts

With the fall season coming to an end, and winter season beginning, SMH is fully into the college recruiting swing. Here is a quick Do’s and Don’ts list to help guide you in the process.

Do's:

• Do start this process early.  Step one is to get on coaches’ radars - you can be recruited only if coaches know you're out there!
• Do begin writing coaches during your freshman year in Upper School and no later than your sophomore year. You will miss out on opportunities if you start late, and the earlier you start the sooner you’ll be better informed on your sport’s recruiting landscape.
• Do your research. Start compiling a list of schools by attributes that are important to you: e.g. sports program, academics, size of campus, philosophy, school location, etc. Rank attributes that are most important to you.
• Do play at the highest level of club/school team you can; it's one of the best ways to be seen by college coaches. Even if coaches are attending a game or match to watch another prospect, they will also see you compete.
• Do spread a fairly wide net in your original list of schools and coaches you write to. Even if you’re confident you have the ability to play at say a big D1 school, get schools from other divisions and associations on your list. You may find that the a smaller school may be your best fit whether it’s due to academics, campus atmosphere, chance to play multiple sports, etc.
• Do practice phone calls/Skype with an adult other than your parents (i.e. coach, teacher) prior to calling coaches. It is important to learn good communication skills. Don't make a bad impression the first time you talk to a real college coach.
• Do work on an “elevator" speech - in 30 seconds be able to effectively tell a coach why you are interested in their school and why you believe you would be a good fit for their program.
• Do ask each coach you write what their typical recruiting timeline is.
• Do set up an online and hardcopy file for all your correspondence to and from schools and coaches.
• Do be honest with yourself about both your athletic and academic achievement levels. Don't waste your time and coaches' time by contacting schools if you already know you won't meet their athletic and/or academic standards. Look at bios on current college team rosters for player athletic achievements/times, etc. in high school and see how you compare.
• Do ask your current coaches what they think of your prospects and where you can improve.
• Do become familiar with Association rules (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA) early on in the proces; they vary by both sport and division.
• Do focus on the academic aspect of the school’s first. You’re going to college not a sports academy. A good education is going to benefit you long after your playing career is over. Make sure you are only considering schools you would attend even if you were not playing a sport.
• Do take advantage of the recruiting process to become independent, advocate for yourself and develop adult communication skills.

 Don’ts:

• Don't forget that most coaches are looking closely at your character and grades before they consider your athletic potential.
• Don’t ask about scholarship money early on.
• Don’t have your parents or others contact college coaches on your behalf – advocate for yourself and demonstrate to coaches early on you can be self sufficient
• Don’t worry about what other players you know are doing, worry about yourself.
• Don’t assume just because you have talent, schools will come to you – take charge and be proactive.
• Don’t think anything is “owed” to you.
• Don't send out mass emails. Personalize your notes and only send to schools you would seriously consider attending. Don't send emails addressed to the wrong coach at the wrong school.
• Don’t email coaches using an email address you might think is funny, but which you may regret or find embarrassing down the road. Most coaches will likely think twice about recruiting an athlete whose email address is norulz4me.
• Don't let an ill-advised 100 character Tweet cost you a $ 100,000 scholarship.
• Don't forget to check your email and voicemail regularly ... always respond to coaches quickly and definitively.
• Don’t take the" D1 or bust" route or limit yourself to just one or two schools. It’s a learning process and by having a healthy and varied list of schools to start with you’ll learn a lot both about schools and what appeals to you and may be the best fit for you.
• Don’t burn any bridges, be polite, and respond to all coaches emails. If you’re certain you’re no longer interested in a school, save everybody time and trouble by politely letting them know – remember, coaches talk to each other.
• Don't deluge coaches with emails or phone calls. It's important to stay in contact with coaches (a couple of times a month is good), several times a week or daily is likely to put you in the nuisance pile, remember you are contacting coaches who are thinking, "Do I want to work with this kid for the next 4 or 5 years?"
• Don't rely on verbal offers or say no to other potential schools. Until you get it in writing, it's not binding. Don't be left out in the cold!
• Don't freak out if things are not progressing as quickly as you thought they would. The recruiting process is a marathon not a sprint.