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December 6, 2013

Dates to Remember

Monday, Dec. 9
Meet the Coaches Night - 7:00 pm

Tuesday, Dec. 10
Athletic Assoc. Meeting
7:00 pm

Friday, Dec. 13
Prayer Service
8:55 am

Saturday, Dec. 14
Cookie Sale
ND Cafeteria
10 am - 12 pm

Friday, Dec. 20
1/2 Day Schedule

Monday, Dec. 23 - Wednesday, Jan. 1
Winter Vacation
No School
Parent Volunteers  
Before volunteering at school, parents are required to go through Virtus training.  To register for a Virtus training session, please click here. Contact Kevin Philipp at kevin@notredame.org for questions.
 
Have a Target Red Card?

If you have a Target Red Card, you can designate Notre Dame to be the recipient of Target's donation of 1% of your annual purchases. All you need to do is link your card to Notre Dame, shop and use your Red Card at Target. It's that easy. In the summer, we received a check for $231.75 thanks to those who designated Notre Dame last school year. Click here to sign up for this program.

Notre Dame earned $876 in October & November thanks to the 161 people who registered their Stop and Shop cards as part of the A+ Rewards Program.
It's not too late to still do so ...

Help earn money for Notre Dame by registering your Stop and Shop card with the store's A+ School Rewards Program.
Click here to register your card today! You must re-register each year. Participation in this program does not affect gas points.

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Help Us Share Your Child's Good News ...
If you have information to share about any out-of-school achievements of your son or daughter, please e-mail that information to
cipriano@notredame.org. We look forward to the opportunity to share your good news with the entire Notre Dame community.
ND Mugs For Sale   

ND Mugs For Sale
The Home School Association is selling ND mugs for $10 each. Contact Theresa Marzik at marzik@notredame.org to get yours today.
Commemorative Bricks  
ND is selling commemorative bricks which pave the entrance way of our school.
Commemorative bricks are a way to honor ND families, graduates, parents, faculty members and friends. Each brick is $65, of which 100% of the proceeds are allocated to helping Notre Dame maintain its high level of academic excellence. Click here for an order form.
 
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Congratulations to...
... Recently, at the Sister Marion Reilly Mass and Communion Breakfast, held at Sacred Heart University, the 2013-14 Marion Reilly Scholarship winners were honored. The scholarship recipients are Aly D'Aurio '16, Ashley Maitland '15, Jessica Cannon '14 and Rachel Jankovsky '14. Both Jessica and Rachel addressed the audience and spoke about what their Notre Dame education means to them.

... The following students were named November Students of the Month: Caitlin Lonergan '15, Eric Monies '16, Clay Westermann '17, Jillian Gelmetti '13. Students are nominated by faculty based upon achievement, attitude, community service and academic achievement.

... Matt Lasky '14 and Charlie Fallon '14 who were the winners of the Athletic Association T-Shirt Contest. They both received complimentary t-shirts and will be receiving $25 each to spend in the cafeteria, courtesy of the Athletic Association.  T-Shirts are on sale now for $15 in a limited supply and sizes. T-Shirts will be sold at the Meet the Coaches Night on Monday at 7:00 pm or contact Kathy Stefanatos at kpstef@aol.com.

...Tim Furgiuele '16 received the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Jerome Church in Norwalk on November 24th. Bishop Frank Caggiano officiated, and Tim's sister Aly Furgiuele '13 was his sponsor. 
Alumni Update...

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and ND 

This year's Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center has an ND connection. The tree is from the lawn of Louise (Savo) Vargoshe '78. Click here to read all about it on the Connecticut Post.
 

It's All In The Family
Morgan Sweeney '15 ran the Stratford 12th Annual Turkey Day Trot with her Mom, Nancy Sweeney '78, and her Uncle Greg Florence '84, this past Thanksgiving day.
ND Christmas Brick Campaign...
Are you out of ideas about what to get that very special person on your Christmas list?  Honor someone in a special way this Christmas with an engraved brick which line the school's main entryway and are viewed by everyone entering Notre Dame.

If you choose to purchase that special someone a brick for Christmas, you have the option of choosing a sentiment for them or they can write their own. We'll send you a gift certificate to put under the tree. 

A donation of $65 to the Notre Dame High School Brick Campaign will get you your own personalized brick. Each brick is 4"x 8" and includes 3 lines (15 letters on each line).  Brick installations will take place in the spring.

Commemorative bricks are a great way to honor ND families, graduates, parents, faculty members, friends and milestones such as graduations, anniversaries or birthdays.

To place an order, contact the Notre Dame Advancement Office at marzik@notredame.org or 203-372-6521.
This Week at ND...
Male Students Participate in "Movember" 
Thanks to the leadership of Mr. Radley Manzo, 35 male students participated for the first time in the American Cancer Society's Movember campaign. With a $10 donation, these young men (and several faculty members too) did not shave during the month of November. A check in the amount of $420 was presented to Kelly Stewart from the American Cancer Society before Thanksgiving.

This Week In the English/History Department 
The English and History departments are very busy with a variety of different projects. Mr. Sweeney's freshmen classes are working on family crests. They are also completing visual displays of Islamic countries. Mrs Miller's classes are replicating TIME Magazine's Person of the Year using American authors. Classes are continuing with novels and the history classes are looking at the Kennedy assassination fifty years later.

Powder Puff Football Game

Sponsored by the Student Council, the annual junior v. senior Powderpuff Football game was held the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break. The junior class ran away with a solid victory (a shutout) over their senior counterparts. Beside the action on the field, one of the highlights was a performance at the half by a group of junior male cheerleaders, the "Highlighters", dressed in bright neon colors. Congratulations to the juniors on their victory and thanks to all who helped to organize the event. 
 
Art and Nature Class Create Mosaics
Mr. Testani's Art and Nature class is creating mosaics made from dried beans. Students are working with items that are found in nature and can only use the colors available from the beans themselves.



Winter Arts Celebration
The Arts Department held the fifth annual Winter Arts Celebration on Wednesday evening. The many talents of our students were showcased both on the stage and in art displays. The Band, under the direction of Mr. Stephen Chuba, performed several numbers including "Carol of the Bells" and "Silent Night". The chorus, directed by Mr. Josh St. Onge, performed two group numbers, including "Mary Did You Know?". The Mens and Womens Ensembles also performed. Notre Dame's newest addition to the Arts Department, the Dance program, under the direction of Mrs. Sally Hong, also performed to rave reviews. The second act was filled with group and individual student performances. The evening was an excellent showcase for the arts and special thanks go out to all who helped make the annual event possible. To see the full program from the night, click here.
Campus Ministry Update ...
Students Bake Pies For Soup Kitchen
On Monday, November 25, ND students joined a group of special needs Sacred Heart University students for a morning of apple pie baking.  In all, 25 pies were prepared which were then taken down to the Merton House soup kitchen in Bridgeport to be distributed at the Thanksgiving meal.  A special thank you to Mrs. Ezepchik for helping to coordinate this activity.  And a very special thank you to AJ Lucatino '14 and Zack Stepkowski '15 for delivering the pies to the kitchen. Thank you to our bakers: Maggie Halstead '16, Sal Emanuel '16, Nakia Mabin '16, Adonnis Andrade '15, Amy Castellanos '15, Mariah Martin '16, Morgan Sweeney '15, Patrice Lature '15, Jess Haray '14, Caitlin Wardlow '16, AJ Lucatino '14 and Zack Stepkowski '15.

 

Student-Athletes Participate in Thanksgiving Liturgy
On November 26, many of the cheerleaders, football players, coaches and family members of ND gathered together for a Thanksgiving Liturgy that was held in the Chapel.  Following the Mass celebration, those attending gathered in the cafeteria for some good eats and snacks. Thank you to all the football players, cheerleaders, coaches, and football moms for gutting out a tough year but as far as character and perseverance, a highly successful year! Special thanks to Marianne and Ray Cirisoli for coordinate the after mass reception.

 

Saint Jude's Walk
Thank you to the following students who participated in the Saint Jude's Walk at the Beardsley Zoo.  All money collected went towards helping to raise more awareness for Children's Cancer and more funding to find a cure: Justin DaSilva '17, Bayley McKeon '16, Michelle Onofrio '17 and Gwen Vital '14.

 

Students Assist At Special Olympic Bowling Outing
Thank you to the following students who participated in the Connecticut Special Olympics Bowling Outing in East Haven: Olivia Keden '17, Shelby Nolan '17 and Jasmine Gaudreau '16. These students were escorts to the special needs competitors for the day.

 

The Giving Tree
In keeping with the Notre Dame Spirit of Christmas, we again have a Giving Tree in the Main Office Lobby to help make someone's Christmas a little brighter. Thank you to everyone who took a tag from the tree. As of earlier in the week, all tags had been claimed. As a reminder, the big need this year is clothes, not toys. Please return the gift with the tag on it and please have it wrapped. Presents will be distributed to the families on Saturday, December 21, so please have the present returned by December 20. Thank you so much for participating in this most worthy cause. The requested items are as follows: dresses, sweaters, shirts, pants, blouses, jackets and underwear. If you are interested in still giving, but weren't able to get a tag, contact Fr. Cipriani for other giving options at cipriani@notredame.org. 
Upcoming Events...
Prayer Service
The Notre Dame community will gather for a prayer service on Friday, December 13 to remember the one year anniversary of the terrible tragedy in Sandy Hook. Parents, grandparents and guardians are invited to join us for this prayer service, which will be held in the ND gym, beginning at 8:55 am.

26 Acts of Kindness Campaign
Last year, after the terrible tragedy in Newtown, the Notre Dame community paid tribute to the 26 victims with a 26 Acts of Kindness campaign. We designed a calendar with a different act of kindness for each school day over a several week period. We are thrilled that over 20 area schools - both Catholic and public - will be joining us in this campaign this year. Notre Dame's 26 Acts program will begin on Monday, December 16 and run through the first week of February. Everyone is invited to participate. Click here to view this year's calendar.

Stop and Shop and Big Y School-Wide Fundraiser
We are pleased to announce a new school-wide fundraiser that is of
NO COST to parents!  We are now selling gift cards to Stop and Shop and Big Y.  Parents purchase the gift cards at face value and the stores in turn donate 5% of the money collected back to the school.  It is a win/win fundraiser!  Everyone needs groceries so this is the perfect way to buy your weekly groceries AND have money go back to Notre Dame.  Please try and make this part of your weekly shopping routine! Orders need to be in by Friday of each week. Cards will be delivered the following Wednesday or Thursday. To order, simply click here to complete the order form and send it and your payment (checks payable to Notre Dame) in to Theresa Marzik. Happy Shopping!

Scrapbookers...Save the Date!
Do you love to scrapbook? ND is holding an all day scrap-booking event on Saturday, January 25 from 10 am to 8 pm. Pay by January 15th and the fee is only $40 for a full day and $25 for a half day (10-3 or 3-8), the price will increase by $5 after 1/15. If you have any questions, contact
Denise Gagne at Dgagne@sbcglobal.net.

Calling All Bakers and Lovers of Cookies!
The Home School Association is calling all bakers and cookie lovers. The Second Annual Cookie Sale will take place on December 14, 2013 from 10 am-12 pm in the cafeteria at Notre Dame. We are looking for parents and students who are willing to bake their favorite cookies and deliver them to the school on Friday, December 13.  If you don't bake, but like to enjoy homemade cookies, come to the Cookie Sale on December 14. A variety of mouth watering cookies, cakes, and loaf breads will be available for purchase. You can have homemade cookies for the holidays and avoid all of the fuss in the kitchen. Bring your family members and friends and support the Home School Association Annual Cookie Sale. For more information contact Nancy DeGennaro. If you are interested in baking, click here for more information.
Student Opportunities...
2014 Memorial Day Parade Theme Contest
The Town of Fairfield is soliciting suggestions from groups in town for the theme of the 2014 Memorial Day parade. Since 2014 is the 60th anniversary of the Korean War cease fire and the 375th anniversary of founding of the Town of Fairfield, the parade committee is requesting themes that are aimed at honoring 375 years of Fairfield veterans, in particular commemorating the Korean War cease fire. Submit any entries to Mr. Cipriano by December 20. We will forward all entries to the parade committee.
Parents ...
Second Marking Period Ed-Line Reports
Additional Ed-line reports will be issued this marking period on December 15 and January 5.

Yearbooks
Orders are now being taken for 2014 yearbooks which will arrive in May. Click here to order the yearbook online. Simply enter Notre Dame's order number 14196 to begin your order. The cost is $75.
Videographer Needed
The girls basketball team is looking for a student interested in videotaping their basketball games this season. If interested, please see
Mr. Bleggi.

Athletic Association
There will be an Athletic Association meeting next Tuesday, December 10 at 6:30 pm in the Library. All are welcome to attend.

Meet the Coaches Night 
All winter athletes are reminded that "Meet the Coaches Night" is scheduled for this Monday, December 9 at 7:00 pm in the ND gym.  All winter athletes and a parent/guardian must attend.  

Notre Dame Winter Season Athletic Passes
Adult and Family winter season athletic passes are now available for purchase in Mr. Bleggi's office. The athletic passes will allow for admission for an individual or family (immediate family members only) to all ND home athletic events at the Milford Ice Pavilion, Sacred Heart's University's Pitt Center, and events at ND. The cost of an individual pass is $40 and a family pass is $75. Checks can be made out to Notre Dame. This pass does not include admission for present Notre Dame students or games played at the Webster Bank Arena. 

ITown Store   
Notre Dame and ITown have partnered for an exciting online store where you can purchase official Notre Dame Fairfield clothing and apparel.  The store will be continually updated throughout the year. ITown Store is a virtual store focused on sales of apparel and promotional products with logo customization options. Visit www.itownstore.com and click on "Find your store" to see ND's merchandise.