Houses

Signature Student Life

NSAL’s four houses

Whether you are a student or faculty, everyone is a part of one of NSAL’s four houses, which encourage friendly competition within the school as well as fostering a sense of pride and school community.

The House System

The NSAL house system is designed to promote and reward student leadership, school participation and community outreach at all levels.

Membership in houses fosters a sense of pride in their school, a sense of community, mentoring opportunities and close personal relationships with students in higher and lower grades. All students are involved in inter-house competition covering the full range of NSAL activities: academics, athletics, arts and cultural activities, as well as community service. Students arrive for Monday morning assemblies and sit with their House team, working together to solve riddles, compete in tasks or work on their portfolios and community connections. Special House events take place monthly and often co-inside with other Community Connections Signature Program activities.

House Placement

Students become members of a house when they first register at NSA; they remain in the same House until graduation. Houses are multi-grade level to encourage a whole school approach to citizenship and collegiality.

NSA has 4 Houses that align with our values
Sapphire – Strength
Ruby – Knowledge
Emerald – Compassion
Amber – Integrity

Earning Points for your House

A friendly competition exists between the House teams. Students can earn points as a team during Monday assembly activities, during special events and as individuals by completing tasks launched by the faculty at various times of the year.

Faculty House Mentors

Each House has two faculty assigned as mentors. These mentors follow the students throughout the grades, providing an opportunity for students to get to know faculty who may not currently teach them or to stay in touch with teachers who have taught them in the past. Research confirms that having a positive relationship with a teacher in a school has significant impact on teens’ feelings of belonging and provides a safety net to turn to at various times in their high school career.

Conferencing with House Mentors

Faculty mentors also conference with each student in their House. This takes place each term, where students meet with their mentors to set term goals, reflect on their own progress and complete a self-evaluation at the end of each term. This additional oversight allows the NSA professional team to ensure that no student falls through the cracks, that various approaches are tried when a student may struggle and that individual success is acknowledged.

Monthly House Activities

Every month one of the four Houses are responsible for the activities taking place; whether it is a sports tournament, useful study tips before exams, promoting our annual 5 Star Gold show, the Terry Fox walk or inviting people within our community to share their experiences.

Your Success, Our Priority

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