Please forward this newsletter to family and friends to share the
good news about Notre Dame High School.

January 10, 2014

Dates to Remember

Wed., Jan. 15-
Wed., January 22
Mid-Term Exams

Monday, January 20
No School
MLK, Jr. Day

Wed., January 22
March for Life

Thursday, Jan. 23
Third Marking Period Begins

Monday, January 27
Report Cards Mailed Home,
Catholic Schools Week Begins

Tuesday, January 28
Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day

Wed., January 29
Parent/Guardian Appreciation Day

Thurs., January 30
Student Appreciation/
Spirit Day

Friday, January 31
Community Service Day
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 $1297 in October, November and December thanks to the 162 people who have 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.

facebook

Have you "liked" ND on Facebook yet? To visit the ND page on Facebook and become a fan, click here.


To visit our Twitter feed, click here. To follow Mr. Cipriano's Twitter account, click here.


Click here to follow us on Pinterest! Check it out - it is full of great photos, both old and new!


ND is on Instagram @NDFFLD
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.
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.
 
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.
Quick Links...
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Mid-Term Exam Schedule Change...
Students and parents are reminded that mid-term exams will be held from January 15 to 21. Wednesday, January 22 is an exam make-up day. Two exams will be given each day, except on January 21 when one exam will be given. Exams are given in class order beginning with Period B. Mid-term exams count as 10% of the final course average and their importance is highly stressed. Teachers are reviewing and providing review sheets for all students.

Two 90-minute exams are given each day. The first exam begins at 8:00 am. The second exam begins at 9:45 am. Busing is provided at its normal time in the morning and at the completion of the day's second exam. Students who have only the first exam may leave after that exam unless they need to wait for bus transportation. Likewise, if a student only has the second exam of the day, he/she does not need to be present prior to the start of that exam at 9:45 am. If a student needs to arrive early or stay after the first exam, the cafeteria and library will be open for them. Breakfast will be available for purchase in the cafe each morning.

Exams are administered in class order. On Wednesday, Period B & C exams will be given, on Thursday Periods D & E, on Friday Periods F & G, (there is no school on Monday for the MLK holiday), and Period H exams will be given on Tuesday (with busing provided after this single exam is completed). There is an exam make-up day on Wednesday, January 22 for students granted permission for a make-up. All other students do not have school on this day. Bus transportation is not provided on Wednesday, January 22.

In the event of a snow day, all exams are pushed back one day. In the event of a delayed opening, exams will begin two hours later than normal. The first exam will begin at 10:00 am and the second exam at 11:45 am.
This Week at ND...
3D Art Class Portrays Opposites
Artwork by Young-ji Kang '14 and Kimmani Gibson '14
Mr. Testani's 3D Art class has been busy creating their 3D paintings. Each student was asked to create two paintings dealing with opposites: night and day, summer and winter, love and hate, etc. The students created one painting in color and then did the other painting in black and white. The two paintings were then brought together into one. You can view each painting on each side as you walk past them in the math hallway. To view the paintings on-line, click here.
26 Acts of Kindness Campaign...
Notre Dame's 26 Acts program will run through the first week of February. Our acts of kindness are in memory of the victims of the Newtown tragedy. Everyone is invited to participate. Click here to view this year's calendar.

Acts of Kindness for the week of January 13th:
  • Monday, January 13 - Be Kind to the Environment (recycle, think before you hit print, use less paper...)
  • Tuesday, January 14 - Thank the ND Support Staff (thank a secretary, cafe worker, custodian, coach...)   
  • Our calendar will then resume after mid-term exams. 

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our two collections thus far. We collected over 100 pounds of pet food to donate to a local animal shelter and hundreds of children's and teen books were donated this week for a local nursery school and teen center. Our next collection will be on Thursday, January 23: canned and boxed non-perishable foods for a local food bank.  

 

Also, thanks to our students who wrote letters to a current or former teacher this week, thanking them for the impact he or she made on their education career. Letters to non-Notre Dame teachers are being mailed to the teachers on Monday.  

Athletic Association...
Join the Athletic Association! All new members will receive a Lancer car magnet. Please contact Mr. Jim Olayos, Director of Athletic Advancement, for information or to enroll in the Notre Dame Athletic Association.
Go Lancers!
Upcoming Events...
Save the Date - Lancer Legacy Gala
The Third Annual Lancer Legacy Gala will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2014 at Sacred Heart University. Invitations were mailed today. This is Notre Dame's largest fundraiser of the year. Please make plans to attend this event honoring several individuals who have made great contributions to the ND community. In addition, five graduates will be inducted for the first time into the Notre Dame Alumni Hall of Fame. All families and friends of ND are invited to join us for this celebration of Notre Dame. A Gala planning meeting will be held on Monday, January 13 at 7:00 pm in the Notre Dame library. Contact Theresa Marzik for more information or to assist with the Gala's planning.

Change of Date - The ND Lancer Open Golf Tournament
The ND Lancer Open in Memory of Bob Shea originally scheduled for
June 24 will now take place on Monday, September 22, 2014 at the Redding Country Club.

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 15 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 January 15. If you have any questions, contact
Denise Gagne at Dgagne@sbcglobal.net.
Seniors ...
Scholarships Available
The Connecticut Building Congress Scholarship Fund will once again be offering scholarships to graduating Connecticut high school students entering college-level programs in construction-related fields such as architecture, construction-related engineering, or construction management.  These scholarships have historically ranged from $500 to $2,000 per year and are renewable (four years for a four year program; five years for a five year or longer program) contingent upon available resources, the student's continued study in a field related to the construction industry, and their maintenance of a Grade Point Average of not less than 3.0 on a scale of 4.0.

The deadline for filing applications is March 31, 2014. Click here to download the application.
Parents ...
Parent Volunteers for Student Service Day 
Any parents who are interested in volunteering on Friday, January 31 for Community Service Day (driving and serving alongside our students) should contact Kevin Philipp at kevin@notredame.org to obtain the necessary volunteer forms.
 
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 placing your order. The cost is $75.
Seeking Host Families for Chinese Students Who Are Visiting for One Week
Short Term Chinese Student Exchange Program
Notre Dame will be welcoming a group of four to seven eighth grade students from China (and a teacher) during the last week of January. The company coordinating this program, EduBoston, is seeking interested families to host these potential future Notre Dame students for the week. The Chinese students would shadow the ND student during the day and observe after school activities and events. For additional information on this exciting opportunity, click here.
Student Opportunities...
Exciting Youth Event for Teens
An exciting youth event will be coming to the Diocese of Bridgeport on Saturday, January 25 at St. Philip Church in Norwalk and is open to all!  Meet nationally known speaker, songwriter, worship leader and musician Steve Angrisano. To learn more about Steve click here.  Visit the Diocese of Bridgeport Youth Webpage for more information.
Girls' Lacrosse Meeting 
There will be a mandatory meeting for all girls interested in playing girls' lacrosse on Tuesday, January 14 after school in the cafeteria.  If you cannot attend, but plan on playing, please see Mr. Bleggi.

ND Basketball at Webster Bank Arena 
Tickets for the boys' and girls' basketball games versus Bunnell High School at the Webster Bank Arena on Monday, January 27 will be on sale beginning Monday, January 13. Tickets are available at school for $8 and are good for both games. Please see Mr. Bleggi or Mr. Olayos to purchase tickets. 
 

Pancake Dinner To Benefit ND Athletic Teams  

The girls' basketball and soccer teams are selling tickets for a pancake dinner fundraiser at Chip's Family Restaurant in Fairfield. Seatings are on Monday, January 13 at either 5:00 pm, 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm or 8:00 pm. The menu for the evening includes: Short stack buttermilk pancakes, bacon or sausage, eggs, coffee/tea/soda. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased through any of the girls on either team or their parents. Please contact Melissa Sokoloff at 203-521-4532 with any questions. 


ND Girls' Basketball & Soccer Raffle 
Support the girls' teams by purchasing a raffle ticket. As a thank you for your donation, you will receive one entry for every dollar you donate to our teams. Prizes awarded: 1st Prize is a $200 Visa Gift Card, 2nd Prize is a $50 Visa Gift Card and 3rd Prize is a $50 Visa Gift Card. Contact Mr. Bleggi with any questions.  

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.