Greetings from the Upper School
February 8, 2019
Dear Upper School Families,
Best wishes,
Matt Jacobs
Head of Upper School
A spirited hello from the Upper School! It seems like every week we have reason to celebrate (beyond the continued magnificence of the New England Patriots) and reflect, this week was no exception. On Wednesday, we had several of our 8th-grade students venture to the Upper School where they were able to shadow some of our students and attend Upper School classes. It was great to see our divisions mix and I am incredibly proud of our Freshmen for stepping up and being the mentors that we all knew they would be. We began with a tremendous presentation from the Academic, Student Life, and Athletic departments. It is our hope that the eighth graders came away as impressed with the Upper School as we were with them.
On another high note, our girls’ basketball team won their semi-final game against Carolina Friends last night and will take on Trinity of Raleigh tonight in the Tri-TAC Tournament Championship game! The tip is at 5:30 PM and we hope to see you there! Please arrive early, the game is expected to be a sellout. On another athletic note, this past Wednesday was National Girls and Women in Sports Day and we were proud to celebrate not only our basketball players but all our female falcon athletes this week.
On Thursday we had 44 students take the American Math Competition, a national competition. Participation was voluntary at the non-AP level and we had overwhelming interest. I believe this is a positive indicator of a cultural shift at the O’Neal School, as our Department Chair Jen Isaacs wrote to our math team: “It is clear that our students are proud of their growth and accomplishments in math and are eager to challenge themselves.” Kudos to our students and bravo to the teachers who inspire them.
Once again, as we look ahead to the exam period around the corner, please check individual class pages for reviews for each exam. Teachers have posted review sheets, practice problem sets, and many other resources to aid our students as the begin the process of review. A few moments spent each night will pay large dividends in the weeks to come. If you or your child cannot locate this information, please reach out to us immediately and we can ensure that they get any information they require.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Best wishes,
Matt Jacobs
Head of Upper School
ATHLETICS
It is an exciting time for our O’Neal sports teams and fans as we head into the playoffs. Both the girls and boys swim teams and the girls and boys basketball teams will head to the State tournament next week. Our Cheer team will lead the way in supporting the basketball team as all our teams aim to finish the winter season on a high note.
Calendar
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February 15th
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No School for Students
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February 18th
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President’s Day – No School
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April 1st
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AP Fees due
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What’s Happening in The O’Neal College Counseling Department
by Renee Ferrerio
All parents and students should review the calendar of college rep visits.
Junior and senior parents and students should follow this link to see up to date nomination and non-nomination scholarship opportunities and special programs.
All parents and students should review the calendar of college rep visits.
Junior and senior parents and students should follow this link to see up to date nomination and non-nomination scholarship opportunities and special programs.
We are collecting fees for AP Exams now. AP exams are $94 per test and a check for the whole amount should be made out to The O’Neal School and given to Ms. Morahan at the front desk. All Students must pay for their exams by April 1, 2019.
Seniors should be reporting their acceptances and scholarship offers to Ms. Morahan, Ms. Ferrerio and marking them in Naviance.
The next ACT is offered at O’Neal on April 13, 2019, and registration ends on March 8. Please register online at www.act.org. The next SAT is offered at O’Neal on March 9, 2019, and registration ends on February 8. Please register online at www.collegeboard.org. Juniors should consider signing up for their first exam during the second semester.
On March 17, 2019, a bus will leave O’Neal at 9:00 am for the NACAC National College Fair in Charlotte. This college fair is one of the biggest fairs in the Southeast and will host over 140 schools from across the US and abroad. Registration is required for the fair at this link: https://www.nacacfairs.org/attend/national-college-fairs/charlotte-college-fair/. The sign-up sheet and permission slip for the bus from O’Neal will be on the board outside Ms. Morahan’s office along with a list of participating colleges. This is open to students of all ages who wish to attend. The deadline to sign up and turn in the permissions slip is March 11, 2019.
The O’Neal School
3300 Airport Road
Southern Pines, NC 28387
910.692.6920
