November 13, 2014

Dear Parents,  

There was a time when many Americans were not appreciative of the  men and women who served our country in the military. Not many schools took time to remember our military and what they fought for. It is in this context that I think the Veterans' Day Assembly was such a tremendous outpouring of support and appreciation to the current and past members of our military, both in our community and throughout the nation. Notre Dame is indeed a special school in that it not only honors God, but remembers and appreciate our nation's military. It is great to be a member of the Notre Dame community in that it truly honors our veterans who fight to keep us THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE.

Grandparents' Day is next Wednesday, November 19. The special day will begin with Liturgy at 8:35 am. Grandparents will meet their grandchild(ren) after Mass in the middle school gym. There will be a small social that will take place in the gym when the grandchildren come back from church. Grandparents play such a huge role in the development of their grandchildren, no matter if they are in kindergarten or in eighth grade. I have always found it unique the way grandparents have their grandchildren wrapped around their fingers (or is it the other way around?).

Last Wednesday the GRACE principals participated in a Data Retreat with Mrs. Jane Schueller, Director of Curriculum for the Green Bay Diocese. Mrs.Schueller asked each principal to assess their MAP scores for their individual schools to see if there were any trends in test scores. As a school, our scores were excellent. One area of growth I would like to address is the amount of writing our students do in class. The teachers and I will work on devising more strategies for our students to develop their writing skills between now and the next MAP test in the spring.

If a student or parent has lost or misplaced the Power School user id and password, let Mrs. Laehn know as soon as possible. We are beginning to hold students accountable for grades and behavior as it pertains to extracurricular activities. There will be a grade and behavior check every two weeks for students participating in any extracurricular activity. Students and/or parents should check Power School regularly to see current class grades.

Please take a chance to view the page on MAP and other educational related articles. The latest piece is a YOU TUBE clip on appreciating our teachers. New items are put on the link regularly.

The Elementary School Battle of the Books competition will be held on February 10th from 12:30-2:30 with pizza and awards to follow.  This is a separate competition from the Middle School. Please put this date on your calendar.

Please send in your Seroogy Candy order forms by Friday. Both offices have extra order forms for you to purchase candy bars. Please make out the checks to Notre Dame School.  If you need someone to purchase a bar or two for, send them my way.

It is that time of year when students need to remember that they must dress appropriately for the weather. The dress code for winter weather attire is in the Family Handbook. I know many of the younger students enjoy playing in the snow. It is for that reason that they must be dressed warmly this time of year.

In this weekend's Gospel from Matthew, Jesus tells the disciples the Parable of Talents. In this parable Jesus teaches the importance of using the gifts that God has given us in service to the Kingdom of God. The message of Jesus' parable reminds one of the talents our servicemen have used to serve us.

Have a great weekend. I hope I don't offend anyone, but the heavy wet stuff can wait a while longer.

God Bless,

James A. (Jim) Clark, Principal

"May All of Us Preach The Gospel, And If Necessary Use Words."

Love chocolate? Who doesn't? Time is running out to get those chocolate snowmen and santas, gift boxes, fudge trays and coffee. Hurry, hurry, hurry!!! This sale ends tomorrow! For more information click here

Key Event Update

We had a great event and were able to sell 475 keys.  We are excited to announce the winners of the 2014 Key Raffle and Primary Raffle! For a list of the winners click here

Box Tops For Education

 SCRIP News for the Holidays

St. Mary's is looking for SCRIP sellers before and after Mass on Saturdays and Sundays.  Just one Mass a month and you will be able to get volunteer hours for it. You will need to contact Sherry Karcz 920-336-2838.

Please plan ahead for the holidays. The week of Thanksgiving (Nov. 23) and Christmas (Dec. 21) we will be placing our SCRIP orders on Sunday sometime before 1:00.  Make sure your online and paper orders are in before this time. 

Would you like to do something special for the school or an individual teacher? Notre Dame of De Pere is in need of so many items for our school. Items that would make things easier, better or simply more effective for the staff and students. If you would like to look through the list please check our website out. At the top of the website click on My Teacher you will get a drop down then click on Teacher Wishlists or just click here

A Guide to Understanding MAP Testing for Parents

Mr. Clark has set up a Education Post on our webpage. There are many valuable tools in which parents can educate themselves in different aspects of their children's education.  Very helpful information.  Most recently added was the toolkit for parents in understanding MAP testing.  Check it out here.

Parish Accountant Needed

St. Francis Xavier Parish is seeking a part-time Accountant Mondays-Thursdays, approximately 24 hours/week For more information click here 

Feed the Hungry - Food Drive

Chip in to help feed the hungry in our community. Notre Dame is sponsoring a Food Drive for our school.  What classroom will bring in the most food? Sounds like a challenge to me. Make sure it is your class and you will win a special prize. Who will win? The homeroom that brings in the most food and the hungry in our community. For more information click here

This year our battle will be February 2. For a list of the books and the letter that went home click here 

VIRTUS Training/Background Checks

All volunteers MUST have VIRTUS training and a background check. For more information click here

Check out what is happening at Notre Dame

There is always a lot going on at Notre Dame of De Pere.  You can stay in the know by checking out our website. We update our website front page with fun, useful and interesting informational posts on a regular basis.  Don't be the only one that doesn't know what is going on.  Check the website as often as you check your email (maybe more). For a quick link to our website calendar click here

Private School Tuition is Deductible

For more information please click here