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at Notre Dame High School.

October 17, 2014

In This Issue
Congratulations
This Week at ND
Open House
Parent/Student Information
Club News
Guidance Department
Campus Ministry
Walk-a-thon
Parent Association
Alumni
Advancement Office
Athletic Department
Dates to Remember

Saturday, October 18
Homecoming 
Football Game
1:00 pm v. Crosby HS

Monday, October 20
Junior Class Trip 
to Boston/
College Financial Aid 
Info Session
6:30 pm

Wednesday, Oct. 22
Underclassmen 
Yearbook Photos

Friday, October 24
Half Day Schedule -
Walk-a-thon
End of Marking Period

Sunday, October 26
Fall Open House
2:30 pm

Monday, October 27
Spirit Week Begins

Quick Links...

Plus Portal

Click here to access 

Plus Portals.

Send us an email if you are having difficulty setting up your account. 

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 kphilipp@notredame.org for questions.

ND Tutoring Center

The ND Tutoring Center is open Monday through Thursday from 2 - 3 pm in Room 212. No appointment necessary. The Center is staffed by NHS and SHU tutors

Library Hours 
The library is open Monday - Thursday until 4:00 pm and on Fridays until 3:00 pm.
 
Register Your Target Red Card 
Notre Dame received a check for $321 thanks to friends of the school who linked their Target Red Card to Notre Dame. Notre Dame receives 1% of all purchases you make. To sign up your card, click here.  
  
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Stop and Shop A+ Rewards

Families are encouraged to register their Stop and Shop card for the A+ Rewards Program. 
Click here to register. 

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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
ccipriano@notredame.org. We look forward to the opportunity to share your good news with the entire Notre Dame community.
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Congratulations to...
... Felipe Canzian '18 for being named Fairfield Citizen Male Athlete of the Week in boys' soccer. According to a recent newspaper article, Felipe "scored the Lancers' goal in Tuesday's 1-1 tie with Pomperaug that qualified ND for the CIAC tournament for the first time in 21 years. Canzian scored four goals and two assists as the Lancers went 2-1-1 last week".
This Week at ND...
Freshman Retreat
On Wednesday, the freshmen class participated in their class retreat in the gym. The theme of the day was faith survival skills; recognizing and cultivating traits like forgiveness, participation in the sacraments, making time for silence and reflection, appreciation and gratitude, staying healthy, being open to growth and change, being a good friend, and knowing when to ask for help.  

After breakfast, students attended mass with Fr. Bill celebrating, played icebreakers, met in small groups, performed skits, and watched video clips. Special thank you to the following senrios who assisted with the retreat: Adonnis Andrade, Samantha Sainvil, Yamil Cobo, Trenton Moore, Mario Nunes, Nicolin Goodin, Morgan Sweeney, Lynn Nicholas, Shadea Foster, Zaria Lawhorn, Maylene Vidro, Christopher Rojo, Tyler DaSilva, Amy Castellanos, Patrice Lauture, Caitlin Longergan, Jessica Fogassa, Sam DeMattio, and Kernah Ferquire.

Hot Off the Presses
The latest edition of the Lancer Times is out. Click here to read ND's student-created newspaper. The ND student newspaper is being produced on a weekly basis by the students in Mr. Manzo's Period F Yearbook/Publications class. Students are responsible for all aspects, ranging from story ideas, writing the copy, taking photographs when needed, and distributing the paper. 
Open House and Entrance Exam News
Open House for Prospective Students
Notre Dame's annual Open House will be held on Sunday, October 26, beginning at 2:30 pm. Tours of the campus will be offered beginning at 1:30 pm. All prospective families (including transfer students) are invited to attend to meet faculty, students, administration, coaches, alumni and parents. Please help to spread the word to all families who might be interested in applying to Notre Dame. Click here to pre-register to attend Open House.
Open House 2013 - Standing Room Only Crowd
Entrance Exam
All eighth grade applicants to Notre Dame must complete a Notre Dame application and submit the $50 application fee. Beginning this year, applicants to any of the five Bridgeport Diocesan high schools (Notre Dame, Kolbe, Trinity Catholic, Immaculate and St. Joseph) need to take only one entrance exam at one of the schools. At the testing administration, the student can indicate up to three (of the five) high schools to receive the exam results. Students, though, do need to apply individually to the respective schools. All schools will be offering the entrance exam on the same dates: Saturday, November 1 and a make-up session on Saturday, November 15. Notre Dame's exams will begin at 8:30 am. To complete an on-line Notre Dame application, click here.
Attention Parents and Students...
Second College Essay Workshop Offered
The second College Essay Workshop will take place on Tuesday, October 28 from 2-3 pm.  This workshop will focus on revising and refining essays. Students should bring typed drafts of their essays to work on. Please sign up in Room 207. See Mr. Sulzycki with any questions.

Underclassmen Yearbook Pictures
Freshmen, sophomores and juniors will take their class pictures on Wednesday, October 22 during English classes. Students will receive picture order forms prior to Wednesday. If planning to order pictures, students should bring their order form and exact payment on Wednesday. Regardless of whether pictures are ordered, all students will be photographed for the yearbook.

Senior Experience Applications
Seniors planning to submit a proposal for the Senior Experience program are reminded that applications are due by November 25, 2014. The Senior Experience program affords students an opportunity to complete a four week internship or community service project from April 27-May 22, at the conclusion of their senior year. For additional details or to download an application packet, click here.
Club News...
Fashion Club
The ND Fashion Club will meet on Tuesday, October 21 after school in Room 302A. The meeting will end no later 2:40. All are welcome.

Care Club
The response to the Homeless Project drive has been amazing and we are very grateful to all donors. We will continue to accept donations of new or used winter clothing until October 30 in the library. Thank you for caring.

Key Club
The Key Club elected officers on Tuesday for the 2014-15 school year. Congratulations to President - Becky Stefanatos, Vice-President - Karen Gaza, Treasurer - Patrice Lauture and Secretary - Morgan Sweeney. 

Also attending the meeting was Cindy Perham from the Fairfield Kiwanis Club, the sponsoring organization for the Notre Dame Key Club. Kiwanis co-sponsors The Eliminate Project, which helps to provide vaccines for women to combat neonatal tetanus. For more information visit their website.  

The Key Club will have a contest to guess the number of candy corn and the number of M&Ms in a pumpkin. Each guess will be $.25 with the money going to the
Eliminate Program.

Guidance Department News...

College Financial Aid Meeting

On Monday, October 20 at 7:00p.m. the Guidance Staff is holding a College Financial Aid meeting in the Curtis Hall Theater at SHU (next to the Pitt Center). The speaker will discuss the college financial aid process, including income and asset criteria that determine financial aid eligibility; determining if a family is eligible for aid and how to increase it; how high income families can qualify for both need and merit money; strategies for funding college for more than one child; and prepaid tuition programs and how they affect aid eligibility. Parents of current juniors and seniors are invited to attend.

 

Common App/Naviance Workshop For Seniors

Guidance Counselor, Ms. Magdaline Tiftikidis will be conducting a workshop on "The College Process" after school in Room 200 on two consecutive Thursdays: October 23 and October 30. Seniors can come with any questions about filling out the Common Application/Naviance and the college process. 

 

College Rep Visits - Week of October 20  

  • Monday, October 20 - Bryant University 
  • Tuesday, October 21 - Sacred Heart University
  • Wednesday, October 22 - Duquesne University (PA)
  • Thursday, October 23 - University of New Haven

Seniors must sign up on Naviance to visit with a college representative. Once signed up, please stop by the Guidance Office to get a pass for that day. Please come at least 2 days prior to obtain a pass. No student will be allowed to leave homeroom without a pass. All visits will be at 8:00 am and in Room 206. Check Naviance to see the full schedule.

Campus Ministry News...
This Week's Mite Box
The mite box collection this week raised a little over $200 for Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The ND cheerleaders will be participating in the walk for M.A.D.D. next Saturday, October 25th at Ludlowe High School with many other area high schools. The class that collected the most this week was Ms. Alberti's freshman homeroom (Room 313). They will get a dress down day next Thursday.

ND Campus Ministry is on Twitter!
Looking for an easy way to keep up with what Notre Dame's Campus Ministry team is up to? Follow us on Twitter! @NDLancerCM is our handle, and we're looking forward to sharing all our good news with you.

Service and Fellowship Opportunities
There are several service and community-building events coming up this month. On Monday, October 27, ND will be hosting its first Trunk or Treat event.
Families and groups of friends can come together, decorate their trunks, and hand out candy from 4:30 to 6:30 in the ND parking lot.  Service hours will be given for this event!  Also, the ND Halloween party will take place during school on Wednesday, October 29.  Students will serve as mentors for elementary school children who visit ND that day. Students must sign up for both of these opportunities during the school day.
  
Additionally, the two community-building events scheduled for October are the Lake Compounce Haunted Graveyard tour on Sunday, October 19 and the Wallingford Trail of Terror on Sunday, October 26.  Permission slips are available for these events in school, and they must be returned with payment ASAP!  

Please email jmedoff@notredame.org or 
jstonge@notredame.org for more info, and please remember, students must sign up in person, not via email.
 
Campus Ministry Needs Chaperones
Throughout the year, ND's Campus Ministry program runs a variety of programs off-site, both during the school day and after school. An example of one of the largest of these programs is Community Service Day. We need to update our list of chaperones and drivers, so, if you are Virtus-trained & willing to help us out, please email jmedoff@notredame.org 
or jstonge@notredame.org with your name, cell phone number, and the number of seats you have in your main vehicle. We will then provide you with any additional paperwork (including background check forms). Thanks for your help and God Bless.
Walk-a-thon 2014...

Walk-A-Thon 2014 Is Almost Here

This year's Walk-A-Thon will take place this coming Friday, October 24. We need your help in making this event a success! Our goal is to raise $30,000 and have 100% participation. All donations to this year's event will be used to advance our locker replacement project which began two years ago. We are asking each student to raise $100 in sponsorships.  As a convenience to all our donors, we have provided a special donation link for online donations (notredame.ejoinme.org/walk).  All donations (up to $125) will be applied towards a family's 2014-15 fundraising obligation.

 

We have set a number of great incentives for all our participants:

  • All students who raise $100 or more will get a dress down pass for midterms AND finals.
  • The homeroom which raises the most will receive breakfast.
  • The class which raises the most will receive three dress down days - based on the highest percentage of participants.
  • Students who raise $150 or more will win a ticket for a throw at the dunk tank, to dunk a faculty member they choose from a list of volunteers.
  • The student who raises the most amount in donations will receive a $500 AMEX gift card, the second place student will receive a $250 gift card and the third student, a $100 gift card.  There are several other prizes which will be announced in school. To be eligible for any prize, all donations must be turned by the day of the walk-a-thon.
Please read the attached letter/sponsor form which explains more about the Walk-A-Thon.  
 
If you have any questions, please contact Theresa Marzik in our Advancement Office at tmarzik@notredame.org or 203-372-6521 ext. 38. 

Food Donations Needed for Walk-a-Thon
The Parent Association will again be providing food for this year's student Walk-A-Thon.  Our menu for this year's event will include: bacon, egg & cheese sandwiches, chili, hot chocolate, pizza, candy, chips, etc.  We are hoping that many of the items needed will be donated. If you would like to make a donation to help off-set the cost of our refreshments, please see the wish list below.  Monetary donations will be greatly appreciated, as well.  Please contact Theresa Marzik or Kathy Stefanatos if you would like to make a donation. Our goal is to make 100% profit on our concession stand -- with your help, we can!

We are looking for boxes of the following: (the large boxes with individual candies sold at Costco/BJ's) Starburst, Swedish Fish, M&Ms (Peanut and Regular), Snickers, Skittles, Airheads, Sour Patch Kids, Kit Kats, Blow Pops, Chips (mixed variety -- potato chips, Doritos, etc.). Please bring donations to the main office on or before Wednesday, October 22.
Parent Association News...
Save the Date!
Save the Date for the annual Wine Tasting on November 15 in the school cafeteria from 7 to 9 pm. Stay tuned for more information soon.

Parent Volunteers Needed
The Notre Dame Parent Association appreciates the help and support of all our parent volunteers.  Remember, before you can volunteer at an event with students, you need to 
complete Virtus training. To register for a training session, please click here. Once the session and a background check are completed, you will be able to volunteer for all ND events.  Please contact Kevin Philipp at kphilipp@notredame.org for questions or information on completing a volunteer packet.
Alumni News...
Alumni to Run the NYC Marathon
Jessica Marzik '06, will be running in the New York City Marathon on November 2. She is working towards raising $3,500 in sponsorships to assist Memorial Sloan Kettering in their fight against cancer. Jessica was a captain of the Cross Country and Track teams at Notre Dame and is a registered nurse at New York Presbyterian Cornell Medical Center in New York City who works with oncology patients. To make a pledge to help Jessica reach her goal, click here. 

2015 Alumni Hall of Fame
The selection committee is now accepting nominations and applications for Notre Dame's 2015 Alumni Hall of Fame! Nominations must be received by November 1, 2014. Awards will be presented at the annual Lancer Legacy Gala on February 28, 2015. Click here for a Hall of Fame Nomination form. Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at tmarzik@notredame.org or 203-372-6521 with any questions.
Advancement Office News...
ND & Gaetano's Italian Steakhouse Present Steve D'Agostino "A Night in Las Vegas!"
Don't miss an ND Family Fundraiser on Friday,     November 21 at Gaetano's Italian Steakhouse in Milford. "A Night in Las Vegas" will have two dinner seatings; 6 pm or 8:15 pm. This event is open to all ND families, alumni and friends with 15% of the proceeds being donated back to ND. There is limited seating so please call 203.783.1766 by Friday, November 7. Gaetano's Italian Steakhouse and Lounge is located at 1573 Boston Post Road, Milford.

Lancer Legacy Gala
Notre Dame's annual Lancer Legacy Gala will take place on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at Sacred Heart University. This is Notre Dame's biggest fundraiser of the year. We encourage everyone to get involved in helping us make this year's event a huge success!  If you have any questions, please contact Theresa Marzik at tmarzik@notredame.org
 

Father Bill's BBQ Sauce 

Father Bill's Best Barbecue Sauce which had its debut at the Garlicfest, is available. The unique combination of sweet maple syrup and tangy garlic in a specially blended barbecue sauce is the brain child of Father Bill and Judy Waldeyer and is specially prepared by her. Each 12 ounce bottle retails for $5.00. Contact the Advancement Office to make your purchase.

Lancer Athletics...
Boys' Basketball Meeting  
There will be a meeting for all boys interested in trying out for boys' basketball on Tuesday, November 4 at 6:00 pm in the café.  A parent/ guardian must attend with the student.  If you cannot attend, but are interested in trying out, see Mr. Bleggi.

Girls Interested in Playing Softball
Any girl interested in playing softball next spring should attend a meeting on November 5 at 2:15 pm in café.

Winter Sports Sign-Ups.  
Students interested in Boys' Basketball, Girls' Basketball, Indoor Track and Bowling must sign-up in Mr. Bleggi's office by Wednesday, 
October 22. 
 

Fall/Winter Athletic Passes 

Fall/Winter Athletic Passes are available for purchase in
Mr. Bleggi's office. The athletic passes will allow admission for an individual or family (immediate family members only) to all ND home athletic events at Notre Dame, the Milford Ice Pavilion, and Sacred Heart University's Pitt Center and Campus Field.  The cost of an individual pass is $40 and a family pass is $75. Checks can be made payable to ND.

Upcoming Game Schedule

Community Events...

"Photo with Father" Contest for Mass Mob of Fairfield County  

Mass Mob of Fairfield County Presents: "Photo with Father" contest.  In solidarity with our priests and to show how much we love them, send us your best picture with your FAVORITE priest! Email submissions to: massmobfc@gmail.com.  Winners will be posted on our Facebook page: Mass Mob Fairfield County.  Join us for our next Mass Mob on November 8 at 5:00 pm at Holy Name of Jesus in Stamford.

 

Synod Holy Hour 

You are cordially invited to attend a Synod Holy Hour from 7:00 - 8:00 PM on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 at St. Ann Church, 481 Brewster St., Bridgeport in preparation for the General Session of the Synod which is that following Saturday, November 15 (at St. Catherine of Siena, Trumbull). 

 

DOB - Youth Website  

Check out the Diocese of Bridgeport new Teen Space website. The page is filled with music, events, Youth Group stuff, and high school news from around the Diocese. Click here to view it now.