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January 9, 2015

In This Issue
This Week at ND
Parent/Student Information
Campus Ministry
Guidance Department
Parent Association
Advancement Office
Athletic Department
Dates to Remember

Wednesday, Jan. 14
End of the Second Marking Period

Thursday, Jan. 15
Mid-Term Exams
Period B: 8:00 - 9:35
Period C: 9:50 - 11:20

Friday, Jan. 16
Mid-Term Exams
Period D: 8:00 - 9:35
Period E: 9:50 - 11:20

Monday, Jan. 19
No School
MLK, Jr. Day

Tuesday, Jan. 20
Mid-Term Exams
Period F: 8:00 - 9:35
Period G: 9:50 - 11:20

Wednesday, Jan. 21
Mid-Term Exams
Period H: 8:00 - 9:35
Make-Ups 9:50 - 11:20

Thursday, Jan. 22
Make-ups
No Classes/
March For Life Washington, DC

Friday, Jan. 23
Third Marking 
 Period Begins

Jan. 25 - Jan. 30
Catholic Schools Week

Monday, Jan. 26
School Mass

Tuesday, Jan. 27
Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day

Wednesday, Jan. 28
Parent Appreciation Day

Thursday, Jan. 29
Student Appreciation/Spirit Day

Friday, Jan. 30
Community Service Day

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.  
  
Register Your Stop and Shop Card

Stop and Shop A+ Rewards

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

 To receive important ND updates via text message sent directly to your mobile device, click here. 
 

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
ccipriano@notredame.org. We look forward to the opportunity to share your good news with the entire Notre Dame community.
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This Week at ND...
Spanish Classes Make Flags
Students in Miss Alberti's Spanish 1 classes made flags representing the 25 different Spanish-speaking countries.  They researched the significance of the symbols and design of each flag and shared their findings with their classmates.  
   
ND Students Visit Cathedral Academy
Prior to Christmas break, several Notre Dame students visited their alma mater, Cathedral Academy, and joined Principal
Larry DiPalma and students at CA in a prayer service remembering the victims of the tragedy in Newtown. Ringing the bell Mr. DiPalma received for having been recognized as Principal of the Year in Connecticut in 2011 in memory of each of the victims, the Cathedral Academy prayer service was part of their now annual 26 Act of Kindness campaign. Mr. DiPalma served as the Director of the Notre Dame Learning Center in 2012-13.

Drama Club Makes it to Broadway
Members of the ND Drama Club took their annual trip to New York City on December 12 to see the play Aladdin at the New Amsterdam Theater.  This year 19 students along with parent chaperones Mrs. D'Aurio and Mrs. Bergamasco and Mr. St. Onge, Mrs. Marzik, Mrs. Hong and Maria Vee (ND's Spring Musical Director) traveled by train to NYC.  Their first stop was Pearl Studios where the group attended a Broadway class, Musical Theater/Song and Movement, which was taught by Adam Kaokept, an actor in the play Aladdin. Adam is also a long-time friend of Mrs. Hong's. This annual trip to NYC is one of the highlights of the Drama Club's activities.

Attention Parents and Students...

Mid-Term Schedule & Information
  • Thursday, January 15 - Period B & C Exams
  • Friday, January 16 - Period D & E Exams
  • Monday, January 19 - No School - MLK Holiday
  • Tuesday, January 20 - Period F & G Exams
  • Wednesday, January 21 - Period H Exams
  • Thursday, January 22 - Make-Up Exam Day (for approved absences only)
  • Friday, January 23 - Third Marking Period Begins 

The first exam period of the day begins at 8:00 (and lasts until 9:35 am). The second exam period of the day begins at 9:50 (and lasts until 11:20 am).

 

Students report on-time and directly to their classrooms for exams. Students arriving late for exams will not be given additional time to complete them.

 

Students who do not have a first exam of the day must arrive to school before the second exam begins. Students who do not have a second exam of the day can leave after the first exam is completed. 

 

If students are in the building and do not have an exam at that time, they are expected to be in the library or the cafeteria studying and/or completing school work. Breakfast will be available for purchase in the cafeteria each morning.

 

Notre Dame busing is provided at its normal times in the morning and upon dismissal of the second exam of the day. Busing will be provided home at 9:45 am on January 21 when only one exam is scheduled. There is no bus transportation of the make-up exam day (1/22/15).

 

Delays and Cancellations 

If school is closed for weather, the exam schedule is pushed back one day. For example, if January 15 is a snow day, the Period B & C exams will be given on January 16 and the entire schedule is then pushed back one day. 

 

If there is a delay, ND will open two hours late. The first exam will begin at 10:00 am and the second exam will begin at 11:50 am. 


Per the student-handbook, students are expected to be "present, punctual and in school uniform. An absence without good reason may result in a failing grade." Mid-term exams are important to the school and students should share the same level of importance. Exams count as 10% of a student's final course average. 

Summer Programs Offered For International and American Students

CIEE is offering two new and exciting summer programs for international high school students (ages 14-18)! Both of these programs will be short term (3 weeks) and will be held in Portland, Maine, the location of CIEE's headquarters.

 

For international students who need an extra boost of their English Language skills, we will be offering an English Language & American Culture program. The curriculum is being designed specifically for CIEE by an expert in this area. Students will live with host families in the Portland, Maine area during this program. 

 

For students interested in learning about business, starting their own company, or improving their problem solving, creativity and leadership skills, we are offering a Global Entrepreneurship program. This program is open to both American and international students. CIEE has hired an expert to create the curriculum and we are working with a leading school program in Entrepreneurship, the Hawken School in Ohio (click here for more on their curriculum). 

 

In addition to these two programs located in Maine, CIEE offers a comprehensive portfolio of high school programs for American students, including options for summer. Please visit www.ciee.org/highschoolsummer for more information.

 

Please see the attached program brochures, information, quick facts and sample calendars for more information. You are also welcome to visit their websites, English Language & Culture and Global Entrepreneurship.


 

26 Acts of Kindness Campaign 

Please join with the ND community as we hold our annual 26 Acts of Kindness campaign now through the end of January. Click here to view our full Acts of Kindness calendar. Here is our week 5 schedule:

Monday - Be Kind to the Environment Day
Tuesday - Collection - Donate a canned good for a local shelter
Wednesday - Tutor/Study with a Classmate Day

Thank you to everyone who donated a used children's/teen literature book. We will donate these to the Fairfield Kiwanis annual book collection drive this spring.

Yearbooks On Sale
2015 Yearbooks are available for pre-order. (Yearbooks arrive in May.) To reserve your copy now for only $75, click here. Enter the school code: 14196 to begin the order process. If you'd like to pay by cash or check, send your payment in to the Main Office.
Campus Ministry...
ND Community Service Day
Community Service Day will be held on Friday, January 30.
Permission slips have been made available to students, and they must be signed and returned by Wednesday, January 14, or students will not be able to participate. Over 200 students have already taken forms, and we ask that students return them to Ms. Medoff or Mr. St.Onge as soon as possible.

Service Hours Due Date
Service Hours documentation forms are due no later than Friday, March 13. Freshmen must complete 5 hours of community service in addition to Freshmen Field Day (in late April), and Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors must complete 15 hours of community service.  Freshmen and sophomores should give their completed service forms to Mr. St.Onge, and juniors and seniors should give their forms to Ms. Medoff.  Please email Mr. St.Onge or Ms. Medoff with any questions.

Guidance Department News...

Attention Juniors: Prep for the SAT at ND through 

The Princeton Review - Classes Start on Feb. 2
Prep for the March 14 SAT and the May 2 SAT (which is held at ND) through a review course by the Princeton Review. Build a foundation for success with 18 hours of targeted in- class instruction, plus four full-length proctored practice tests. The Princeton Review instructors will train students in their exclusive strategies and provide the study tools students need to practice on their own and master what is learned in class. There is a promo code to use - PREP150$ and course number: 214055. To register online:
  1. Visit PrincetonReview.com and use the 'Find A Prep Course Near you' box in the center of the page.
  2. Search for 'SAT' with 'Classroom' and zip code 06825
  3. Click 'Find Course' to see the course schedules.
  4. Find the 'SAT Fundamentals - 18 hour Partnership Course' under 'Notre Dame High School - Fairfield' and click enroll.
  5. Or you may call 1-800-2Review (1-800-2738439) ext.1065 

Important Deadlines for Seniors 

Applications

Please make sure you give each of the counselors at least 3-4 days to fill out any scholarship information needed for applications. If any student comes in a day before or the day of a deadline, the counselors will be unable to complete this task. Please know when your deadlines are, and please give time for counselors to complete forms.    


Also... 

Meet with your counselor at least two weeks before your college application deadlines. Please have your student assessment form completed as well as asking teachers for recommendations.  This will allow the Guidance Office plenty of time to process the required paper work and allow teacher(s) the time to write recommendations by your college deadlines. 

 

Scholarship Information

All seniors should be checking the scholarship list on Naviance. 

When the Guidance Office receives any scholarship information it will be posted on Naviance under "Scholarships". Students should read the criteria to know that the scholarship is for their use.

 

Parent Association News...
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 Carol As A Family
The McGuire and the McCann Families (aka Phantom Nativity Choir) have been caroling together for 39 years. The families are made of up a current ND student and some ND alumni. On December 20, 2014, the group sang for residents at the Carolton Nursing Facility and St. Joseph's Manor. Above is Michael McCann '63, Mary McGuire '18 and David McCann '68. ND alumni Peter McCann '66 and Richard McCann '70 have also sung with the group in previous years, but were unable to make it this year. 
Advancement Office News...
Save the Date
Save the Date for Notre Dame's Lancer Legacy Gala which will take place on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at Sacred Heart University.  If you would like to volunteer on this year's Gala Planning Committee, please contact Theresa Marzik in our Advancement Office at tmarzik@notredame.org.
Lancer Athletics...
Lancer Gang Shirts for Sale
Lancer Gang camo shirts are available in Mr. Olayos' office. These shirts allow free admission to all boys' and girls' home basketball games (including Sacred Heart) and all home boys' and girls' hockey games at the Milford Ice Pavilion. Cost of the shirt is $20. 

Tickets for MLK, Jr. Day Basketball 
Tickets for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Basketball Tournament on January 19 are on sale for $10 in Mr. Olayos' or Mr. Bleggi's office. Tickets allow admittance for all 4 games. Notre Dame will be playing the state's #1 ranked team, Sacred Heart of Waterbury. 

ND Apparel Available On-Line
Notre Dame and Blanchettes Sporting Goods have teamed up for our new and exciting Notre Dame online store. The link to the store can be found here or on our homepage of our website. New merchandise will continue to be added to the store so please check back often. A percentage of all sales on the online store are returned to Notre Dame. Thank you for your support.

Winter Athletic Passes 
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.
Community Events...

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.