A big congratulations to Nysmith 8th graders, Jeffrey C., Matthew L., Abhi A., and Nysmith 7th grader, Zani X., for taking 2nd place at the Virginia state MATHCOUNTS competition on March 16th.

This past weekend, the Nysmith School Debate Team participated in the Georgetown Day School Public Forum Tournament, affirming or negating the topic:

Resolved: The United States should promote the development of market rate housing in urban neighborhoods.

A big congratulations are in order to the following students:

When it comes to math and a new (albeit improved) learning program, trying to help your child navigate math assignments can feel somewhat daunting. We’re used to worksheets and formulas, not math practice software! So how can parents most effectively support their child’s math studies at home? Nysmith’s goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to assist your child in the learning process. Now that our teachers are more familiar with the resources available to help you, they’ve come up with some ways to help you understand and assist your child’s continued practice at home with the Carnegie Learning math system.

Starting Monday, March 25, your child’s math teacher will be posting three documents in Google Classroom that will accompany each module and topic being covered in class. These documents are part of the Carnegie Learning Family Guide, which you can also access within the e-book in your child’s Carnegie Learning account. (You will either need your child to log on to their CL account to access the e-book or have your child’s log-in information to log on yourself.)

The first document will give you an introduction to the module and topic your child is currently learning. For those of you who aren’t familiar with CL’s terminology, a module is the broader or overriding math concept. The accompanying topics are those subtopics within that concept that are being covered. For instance, if your student is currently studying the Reasoning Algebraically module, a topic within that module might be, Algebraic Expressions or Two-Step Equations and Inequalities.

The second document will be the lesson summary, which will go over the main ideas reviewed within each lesson. Finally, the third document will go over essential ideas, giving parents a look at each individual idea within a topic. These documents will be made available to you each time your child’s class moves into a new topic. In addition, CL provides even more online resources in their Home Connection supplement you can find here. This supplement provides links to multiple sites that can give additional math practice to students outside of CL. It also has a “Study Skills” section for parents who may need ideas on how to help their children study at home. For a more in-depth look at the Middle School Math Series, CL also provides a “sampler” for parents to look thorough. You can access that document here.

Nysmith Upper School Director, Nora Webb, also offers some helpful advice when it comes to extending help to your child at home. She says, “In any situation, the best help a parent can be is to have your child explain to you what they are working on. Just verbalizing what they’re working on can sometimes help children figure out the answer.” It’s also important to note that sometimes, just providing the right structure, time, and space for a child to study can make all the difference in the world. Webb says that ultimately, students shouldn’t be struggling to grasp a concept. “If they truly don’t understand a concept, they need to come talk to the teacher. The teacher is in a much better position to help the student than the parent.”

Ann Dolin of Educational Connections and author of Homework Made Simple echoes the same advice to parents. She says, “I remember as teacher, I would have kids come in with absolutely perfect homework, and I’d wouldn’t always know that it was a struggle for them the night before because it was all done beautifully. Every math problem doesn’t need to be correct, every spelling problem doesn’t need to be just right. They need to turn in their own work so the teacher knows how they are progressing.”

In the end, our goal as educators is make sure students are set up for success now and in the future by truly understanding concepts inside and out. By creating a solid foundation of support between home and school, our children are bound for success in math and much more.

Students coming into the 4th grade at Nysmith have a welcome addition to their schedule—a daily, 30-minute class called Student Advisory. Student Advisory sounds just like what you might imagine—a time for students to get advice or seek assistance from a teacher/advisor to help with anything they might need to stay on top of their studies. But more than that, it’s also a time to learn how to manage their growing independence. 

In the 4th grade, students switch to letter grades and have the ability to move between classes unassisted. With this newfound freedom, students must learn how to manage themselves and their time responsibly. Student Advisory teacher, Emily Bramnick, describes her advisory class as a hybrid of both study skills and socio-emotional learning. She says, “We use advisory to help with organizational and study skills so students stay on top of their assignments, but we also provide social and emotional education through mindfulness lessons, organized games, and other activities.”  

Mindfulness is something that Bramnick has some experience in, as she sponsored the Mindfulness Club at Nysmith last year as well as having a background in social work. In a recent class, Bramnick asked her students, “What does mindfulness mean?” One student answered the question this way: “Mindfulness is knowing about what’s internal and external. How what you do affects other people and how what other people do can affect you.” Another word the 4th graders use for mindfulness is “awareness.” Within that classroom discussion, students also talked about what it means to have gratitude and the importance of being polite. They discussed ways to have polite conversation; saying “please” and “thank you,” making eye contact when talking to others, and even the concept of personal space. Bramnick always brings these lessons right back to the classroom, asking students how these concepts can help with academics and with their peers. 

Beyond these important lessons and staying on top of their schoolwork, on any given day, advisory students can also be engaged in any number of fun, organized games like Apples to Apples or Four Corners. On a nice day, they can use their advisory period to spend extra time outdoors, or they can use the media lab (library) as a study period. Having the built-in time and space to adjust to the new reality of what it means to be an upper school student is a welcome interlude for our 4th graders. And with the tools learned in student advisory, students can prepare for the future while still enjoying the present.  

International Week at Nysmith School has always been one of our most beloved school-wide events. Traditionally, the events of the week are capped off by a festive, multi-cultural student parade around the school grounds. This year, our students paraded in the clothing of their cultural heritages and backgrounds such as Cuba, India, Iraq, Japan, Liberia, China, Kurdistan, and Costa Rica—just to name a few. Although the parade is the most visible of the many events during International Week, there are many other events throughout the week that give our students a better glimpse into the larger world around us. Here is just a sample of some of the special events we hosted last week: 

On Wednesday, 6th and 8th grade history students listened to a presentation by Chantal Abonge, a native of the West African nation, Cameroon. Ms. Abonge captivated the students with stories from her childhood, weaving in the history of Cameroon, its various languages and dialects, as well as religious traditions, customs, local dress, and native foods. The presentation was capped off by a Cameroonian dance demonstration outside on the soccer field, where all students were able to join in.  

7th and 8th grade students also found themselves dancing after watching their classmates perform a Salsa Suelta (loose salsa/not with partners) to the song, La Gozadera by Gente de Zona during Thursday’s Spanish dance assembly. The 7th and 8th grade Spanish students did an amazing job dancing the salsa, performed with the coaching and assistance of professional salsa dancer and choreographer, Mr. David Norton. Afterwards, Mr. Norton and Spanish teacher, Ms. Azul Velducea–Torres (who also happens to be a professional salsa dancer), danced a salsa together to the joy and amazement of everyone in the audience. Mr. Norton and Ms. Velducea-Torres stayed afterwards to share some dancing moves and tips with students. (Click HERE to watch these performances on YouTube.) 

Our celebration of culture traversed time as well as space, with a special presentation by a Roman soldier for our 7th and 8th grade Latin students. Our special Roman visitor was a reenactor from the DC based group, LEGIO XX. He described what daily life would be like for a Roman soldier and shared the different items of clothing and shoes that a soldier would typically wear. Among these items, students were able to see and touch re-created chain mail, snake scale, leather shoes and sandals, and various items of weaponry typical of a Roman soldier.  

Finally, our week’s events concluded with a musical performance by the group, Anansegromma of Ghana. This West African duo introduced West African clothing, musical instruments, language and culture through their lively call and repeat songs and dancing.  

U.S. News and World Report has come out with its annual ranking of top high schools in the nation and making the top of the list this year is Northern Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST)—ranked #1 in Virginia and #4 in the nation. Exceeding the overall admittance rates to this elite school is our own Nysmith students who have nearly tripled the average rate of acceptance this year and over the past 5 years.

According to our numbers, of the Nysmith students that applied to TJHSST in 2019, 44% gained admission, compared with TJ’s average overall acceptance rate of 17%. And for the past 5 years, of the Nysmith students who have applied for admission to TJHSST, an average of 49% gained admittance—close to three times the average rate of acceptance.*

Nysmith’s Upper School Director, Nora Webb, attributes these high numbers to Nysmith’s educational philosophy which combines advanced learning within a fun, nurturing environment. She says, “Nysmith alumni at Thomas Jefferson share that they are well prepared academically plus they know how to form peer groups, self- advocate with faculty, and create opportunities to achieve their academic goals. Many attribute these “soft skills” to the experiences and discussions they had while at Nysmith.” The Nysmith School has a history of working in tandem with TJHSST. In 2014, the Nysmith School received one of two “Tommy Awards” from TJHSST for “providing its students with exceptional preparation for TJ’s curriculum and activities, and for enabling gifted students to reach their full potential.” The Nysmith School remains the only school to have ever received this honor.

The Nysmith Class of 2019 will graduate in early June and will continue their education at the following schools:

Schools for Science & Technology

• Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology
• Loudoun Academy of Science
• Loudoun Academy of Engineering and Technology

Boarding

• Philips Exeter Academy (NH)
• Choate Rosemary Hall (CT)
• St. Paul’s (NH)
• Loomis Chaffee (CT)
• Episcopal High School (VA)
• Groton School (MA)
• Middlesex School (MA)

Area Private Day/Boarding

• Sidwell Friends
• Georgetown Day
• Maret
• St. Albans
• National Cathedral School
• Holton Arms
• Madeira
• Foxcroft
• Potomac School
• St. Stephens and St. Agnes
• Flint Hill School
• Middleburg Academy
• Basis McLean
• Paul VI

Public HS with Honors/AP or IB track

• Freedom High School ]
• Langley High School
• Oakton High School
• Patriot High School

*Source: Nysmith School for the Gifted Admissions Office

This Saturday, 59 teams made up of 158 students, along with their coaches, parents, and around 500 attendees will descend upon the Nysmith School for the Gifted in Herndon for a full day of competition and fun in the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) regional championship.

Within the WRO competition, students ages 6-25, are divided by age group into four different categories: Regular, Open, Football, and Advanced Robotics Challenge (ARC). A team consisting of 2-3 students, guided by a coach, will need to design, build and program a robot model that is capable of performing a specific challenge, play soccer, or demonstrate a solution for a real-life problem. This year’s challenge is SMART Cities. Games in the Regular and Open categories will be themed around new concepts, ideas, and technologies that will be needed to help build the cities of the future.

Robotics for Youth is sponsoring this year’s VA/MD/DC regional competition at Nysmith School. Last year, Nysmith alumni, Neha Bhat (class of ’16) and team mate Nithya Chintalapati, made it all the way to the world finals in Thailand. Their team, Absolute Zero, was the only team from the region to attend the world finals and the only all-girls team representing the U.S. They said, “Our team is very special because we are the only all-girls team representing Team USA for the Senior regular category. We are an inspiration to a lot of young girls around us. They see us as role models. By participating in WRO World Finals at Thailand, we wanted to boost the confidence in girls who are looking up to us. And we want to be that inspiration to them.” The girls have gone on to found STEMPoweringGirls with the objective of introducing girls of all ages to the world of robotics and programming.

Admission to Saturday’s WRO regional competition is free. Aside from the team competitions, there will also be hands-on STEM activities and demonstrations. Learn more about how to participate in future WRO events and discover more avenues into robotics and programming. You can register online for the event at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-robot-olympiad-tickets-56721680072

For more information, visit http://wro.roboticsforyouth.org/.

The Nysmith school hosted its third Metro Speech and Debate Public Forum Tournament. Students were prepared to debate both the proposition and opposition side of Resolved: The United States should end arms sales to Saudi Arabia. With over 50 teams and 12 schools in attendance, a big congratulations are in order to the following students:

Novice
1st Place- Dilan Mehmetoglu
3rd Place- Jack Greene and Ansh Malhotra
6th Place- Rhabia Chadha and Kavya Velega
7th Place- Anish Somu and Veer Dabbi
8th Place- Mishka Raja
10th Place- Rhea Maran and Vidhi Sharma

We want to wish a big congratulations to our students who competed in the History Bee Regional Tournament at Thomas Jefferson High School. In total, nine Nysmith students were awarded regional finalists and 20 students qualified for the national competition. They are:

Elementary Division (5th & lower) Qualified for Nationals
Suaraj S.
Cindy L.
Anju A.
Sia M.
Babiha B
Esha M (Regional Finalist!)
Ariana B. (Regional Finalist)
Shreraj S. (Regional Finalist!)
Ryan G. (Regional Finalist!)

The Nysmith History Bowl team, with a record of 4-2, placed 5th out of 22 teams in the 2019 Capital Region Championship Tournament held March 2nd at Centennial High School in Ellicott City, MD earning themselves a spot in the Quarterfinals. They earned a plaque which is Nysmith’s first History Bowl award. By winning three matches in the tournament and a playoff match, they qualified for the National Finals (details are TBD). The team was comprised of 6th graders William Strong and Henry Pan, 7th graders Neeraj Madamalla and Amal Wooldridge, and 8th graders Raed Mirza and Andy Rataul. This was our first History Bowl team in three years when one of our teams made it to the National Finals in Chicago and earned an 8th rank in the country.

A big congratulations to Nysmith 8th graders, Jeffrey C., Matthew L., Abhi A., and Nysmith 7th grader, Zani X., for taking 2nd place at the Virginia state MATHCOUNTS competition on March 16th.

This past weekend, the Nysmith School Debate Team participated in the Georgetown Day School Public Forum Tournament, affirming or negating the topic:

Resolved: The United States should promote the development of market rate housing in urban neighborhoods.

A big congratulations are in order to the following students:

When it comes to math and a new (albeit improved) learning program, trying to help your child navigate math assignments can feel somewhat daunting. We’re used to worksheets and formulas, not math practice software! So how can parents most effectively support their child’s math studies at home? Nysmith’s goal is to make it as easy as possible for you to assist your child in the learning process. Now that our teachers are more familiar with the resources available to help you, they’ve come up with some ways to help you understand and assist your child’s continued practice at home with the Carnegie Learning math system.

Starting Monday, March 25, your child’s math teacher will be posting three documents in Google Classroom that will accompany each module and topic being covered in class. These documents are part of the Carnegie Learning Family Guide, which you can also access within the e-book in your child’s Carnegie Learning account. (You will either need your child to log on to their CL account to access the e-book or have your child’s log-in information to log on yourself.)

The first document will give you an introduction to the module and topic your child is currently learning. For those of you who aren’t familiar with CL’s terminology, a module is the broader or overriding math concept. The accompanying topics are those subtopics within that concept that are being covered. For instance, if your student is currently studying the Reasoning Algebraically module, a topic within that module might be, Algebraic Expressions or Two-Step Equations and Inequalities.

The second document will be the lesson summary, which will go over the main ideas reviewed within each lesson. Finally, the third document will go over essential ideas, giving parents a look at each individual idea within a topic. These documents will be made available to you each time your child’s class moves into a new topic. In addition, CL provides even more online resources in their Home Connection supplement you can find here. This supplement provides links to multiple sites that can give additional math practice to students outside of CL. It also has a “Study Skills” section for parents who may need ideas on how to help their children study at home. For a more in-depth look at the Middle School Math Series, CL also provides a “sampler” for parents to look thorough. You can access that document here.

Nysmith Upper School Director, Nora Webb, also offers some helpful advice when it comes to extending help to your child at home. She says, “In any situation, the best help a parent can be is to have your child explain to you what they are working on. Just verbalizing what they’re working on can sometimes help children figure out the answer.” It’s also important to note that sometimes, just providing the right structure, time, and space for a child to study can make all the difference in the world. Webb says that ultimately, students shouldn’t be struggling to grasp a concept. “If they truly don’t understand a concept, they need to come talk to the teacher. The teacher is in a much better position to help the student than the parent.”

Ann Dolin of Educational Connections and author of Homework Made Simple echoes the same advice to parents. She says, “I remember as teacher, I would have kids come in with absolutely perfect homework, and I’d wouldn’t always know that it was a struggle for them the night before because it was all done beautifully. Every math problem doesn’t need to be correct, every spelling problem doesn’t need to be just right. They need to turn in their own work so the teacher knows how they are progressing.”

In the end, our goal as educators is make sure students are set up for success now and in the future by truly understanding concepts inside and out. By creating a solid foundation of support between home and school, our children are bound for success in math and much more.

Students coming into the 4th grade at Nysmith have a welcome addition to their schedule—a daily, 30-minute class called Student Advisory. Student Advisory sounds just like what you might imagine—a time for students to get advice or seek assistance from a teacher/advisor to help with anything they might need to stay on top of their studies. But more than that, it’s also a time to learn how to manage their growing independence.

In the 4th grade, students switch to letter grades and have the ability to move between classes unassisted. With this newfound freedom, students must learn how to manage themselves and their time responsibly. Student Advisory teacher, Emily Bramnick, describes her advisory class as a hybrid of both study skills and socio-emotional learning. She says, “We use advisory to help with organizational and study skills so students stay on top of their assignments, but we also provide social and emotional education through mindfulness lessons, organized games, and other activities.”

Mindfulness is something that Bramnick has some experience in, as she sponsored the Mindfulness Club at Nysmith last year as well as having a background in social work. In a recent class, Bramnick asked her students, “What does mindfulness mean?” One student answered the question this way: “Mindfulness is knowing about what’s internal and external. How what you do affects other people and how what other people do can affect you.” Another word the 4th graders use for mindfulness is “awareness.” Within that classroom discussion, students also talked about what it means to have gratitude and the importance of being polite. They discussed ways to have polite conversation; saying “please” and “thank you,” making eye contact when talking to others, and even the concept of personal space. Bramnick always brings these lessons right back to the classroom, asking students how these concepts can help with academics and with their peers.

Beyond these important lessons and staying on top of their schoolwork, on any given day, advisory students can also be engaged in any number of fun, organized games like Apples to Apples or Four Corners. On a nice day, they can use their advisory period to spend extra time outdoors, or they can use the media lab (library) as a study period. Having the built-in time and space to adjust to the new reality of what it means to be an upper school student is a welcome interlude for our 4th graders. And with the tools learned in student advisory, students can prepare for the future while still enjoying the present.

International Week at Nysmith School has always been one of our most beloved school-wide events. Traditionally, the events of the week are capped off by a festive, multi-cultural student parade around the school grounds. This year, our students paraded in the clothing of their cultural heritages and backgrounds such as Cuba, India, Iraq, Japan, Liberia, China, Kurdistan, and Costa Rica—just to name a few. Although the parade is the most visible of the many events during International Week, there are many other events throughout the week that give our students a better glimpse into the larger world around us. Here is just a sample of some of the special events we hosted last week:

On Wednesday, 6th and 8th grade history students listened to a presentation by Chantal Abonge, a native of the West African nation, Cameroon. Ms. Abonge captivated the students with stories from her childhood, weaving in the history of Cameroon, its various languages and dialects, as well as religious traditions, customs, local dress, and native foods. The presentation was capped off by a Cameroonian dance demonstration outside on the soccer field, where all students were able to join in.

7th and 8th grade students also found themselves dancing after watching their classmates perform a Salsa Suelta (loose salsa/not with partners) to the song, La Gozadera by Gente de Zona during Thursday’s Spanish dance assembly. The 7th and 8th grade Spanish students did an amazing job dancing the salsa, performed with the coaching and assistance of professional salsa dancer and choreographer, Mr. David Norton. Afterwards, Mr. Norton and Spanish teacher, Ms. Azul Velducea–Torres (who also happens to be a professional salsa dancer), danced a salsa together to the joy and amazement of everyone in the audience. Mr. Norton and Ms. Velducea-Torres stayed afterwards to share some dancing moves and tips with students. (Click HERE to watch these performances on YouTube.)

Our celebration of culture traversed time as well as space, with a special presentation by a Roman soldier for our 7th and 8th grade Latin students. Our special Roman visitor was a reenactor from the DC based group, LEGIO XX. He described what daily life would be like for a Roman soldier and shared the different items of clothing and shoes that a soldier would typically wear. Among these items, students were able to see and touch re-created chain mail, snake scale, leather shoes and sandals, and various items of weaponry typical of a Roman soldier.

Finally, our week’s events concluded with a musical performance by the group, Anansegromma of Ghana. This West African duo introduced West African clothing, musical instruments, language and culture through their lively call and repeat songs and dancing.

U.S. News and World Report has come out with its annual ranking of top high schools in the nation and making the top of the list this year is Northern Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST)—ranked #1 in Virginia and #4 in the nation. Exceeding the overall admittance rates to this elite school is our own Nysmith students who have nearly tripled the average rate of acceptance this year and over the past 5 years.

According to our numbers, of the Nysmith students that applied to TJHSST in 2019, 44% gained admission, compared with TJ’s average overall acceptance rate of 17%. And for the past 5 years, of the Nysmith students who have applied for admission to TJHSST, an average of 49% gained admittance—close to three times the average rate of acceptance.*

Nysmith’s Upper School Director, Nora Webb, attributes these high numbers to Nysmith’s educational philosophy which combines advanced learning within a fun, nurturing environment. She says, “Nysmith alumni at Thomas Jefferson share that they are well prepared academically plus they know how to form peer groups, self- advocate with faculty, and create opportunities to achieve their academic goals. Many attribute these “soft skills” to the experiences and discussions they had while at Nysmith.” The Nysmith School has a history of working in tandem with TJHSST. In 2014, the Nysmith School received one of two “Tommy Awards” from TJHSST for “providing its students with exceptional preparation for TJ’s curriculum and activities, and for enabling gifted students to reach their full potential.” The Nysmith School remains the only school to have ever received this honor.

The Nysmith Class of 2019 will graduate in early June and will continue their education at the following schools:

Schools for Science & Technology

• Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology
• Loudoun Academy of Science
• Loudoun Academy of Engineering and Technology

Boarding

• Philips Exeter Academy (NH)
• Choate Rosemary Hall (CT)
• St. Paul’s (NH)
• Loomis Chaffee (CT)
• Episcopal High School (VA)
• Groton School (MA)
• Middlesex School (MA)

Area Private Day/Boarding

• Sidwell Friends
• Georgetown Day
• Maret
• St. Albans
• National Cathedral School
• Holton Arms
• Madeira
• Foxcroft
• Potomac School
• St. Stephens and St. Agnes
• Flint Hill School
• Middleburg Academy
• Basis McLean
• Paul VI

Public HS with Honors/AP or IB track

• Freedom High School ]
• Langley High School
• Oakton High School
• Patriot High School

*Source: Nysmith School for the Gifted Admissions Office

The Nysmith school hosted its third Metro Speech and Debate Public Forum Tournament. Students were prepared to debate both the proposition and opposition side of Resolved: The United States should end arms sales to Saudi Arabia. With over 50 teams and 12 schools in attendance, a big congratulations are in order to the following students:

Novice
1st Place- Dilan Mehmetoglu
3rd Place- Jack Greene and Ansh Malhotra
6th Place- Rhabia Chadha and Kavya Velega
7th Place- Anish Somu and Veer Dabbi
8th Place- Mishka Raja
10th Place- Rhea Maran and Vidhi Sharma

We want to wish a big congratulations to our students who competed in the History Bee Regional Tournament at Thomas Jefferson High School. In total, nine Nysmith students were awarded regional finalists and 20 students qualified for the national competition. They are:

Elementary Division (5th & lower) Qualified for Nationals
Suaraj S.
Cindy L.
Anju A.
Sia M.
Babiha B
Esha M (Regional Finalist!)
Ariana B. (Regional Finalist)
Shreraj S. (Regional Finalist!)
Ryan G. (Regional Finalist!)

The Nysmith History Bowl team, with a record of 4-2, placed 5th out of 22 teams in the 2019 Capital Region Championship Tournament held March 2nd at Centennial High School in Ellicott City, MD earning themselves a spot in the Quarterfinals. They earned a plaque which is Nysmith’s first History Bowl award. By winning three matches in the tournament and a playoff match, they qualified for the National Finals (details are TBD). The team was comprised of 6th graders William Strong and Henry Pan, 7th graders Neeraj Madamalla and Amal Wooldridge, and 8th graders Raed Mirza and Andy Rataul. This was our first History Bowl team in three years when one of our teams made it to the National Finals in Chicago and earned an 8th rank in the country.