Please forward this email to help share the good news and events
at Notre Dame High School.

January 30, 2015

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

Feb. 2- Feb. 6
Catholic Schools Week (rescheduled)

Monday, Feb. 2
School Mass

Tuesday, Feb. 3
Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day

Wednesday, Feb. 4
Parent Appreciation Day

Thursday, Feb. 5
Student Appreciation/Spirit Day

Friday, Feb. 6
Community Service Day

Feb.13 - Feb.16
No School
Presidents' Weekend

Wednesday, Feb. 18
Ash Wednesday Prayer Service

Saturday, Feb. 28
Lancer Legacy Gala at
Sacred Heart Univ.

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.
Join Our Mailing List
Congratulations to...
... ND's Director of Admission, Gaetano Marra, his wife Kim, big sister Madison, and big brother Peyton, on the arrival of Morgan Elizabeth, who was born on January 23. We are happy to report that everyone is at home and doing well! 

... brothers Peter '10 and Garrett Gintoli '14 of Shelton who will play hockey in the 18th Winter Deaflympics to be held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia March 28-April 5, 2015. The competition will include teams from Canada, Finland, Russia, and the United States. The brothers have been involved with AHIHA since 2003. Peter was selected to the 2011 (High-Tatras, Slovakia) U.S. Deaflympic team as well as the 2009 (Winnipeg, CA) and 2013 (Vantaa, Finland) U.S. World Championship teams.  Garrett made his first appearance at the 2013 World Championships. Peter is currently a junior on the Salve Regina University Men's Team (NCAA DIII).  Garrett is currently with the South Shore Kings U18 Tier 1 team in Foxboro, MA in the USPHL. Congratulations to them both. 

 

Lancer Legacy Gala...
Lancer Legacy Gala
Notre Dame's fourth annual Lancer Legacy Gala will take place on Saturday, February 28. This is Notre Dame's largest fundraiser of the school year and helps us generate funds which directly benefit our students both academically and athletically. 

We hope that every family at ND will be able to support the Gala in some way this year.

Whether you are planning to attend the event or you have a family business and would like to sponsor the event, there are many options to help make this year's event a great success.  In addition to a fabulous selection of food, drink, and music, there will be a silent auction at this year's event.  Gifts last year ranged from a timeshare villa in Florida to JetBlue tickets to wine baskets, Yankees, Mets and Red Sox tickets, sport memorabilia, restaurant gift certificates, a flatscreen TV and so much more.  

Please consider donating an item (or monetary donation) for the silent auction.  There is a Gala "Giving Tree" in the main office with a variety of gift suggestions that you can donate.  Please take a card and return the gift by February 15. Gifts range from a $25 gift card to Dunkin Donuts to an iPad or large screen TV and everything in between.  If your son/daughter brings in a gift for auction, he/she will receive a dress down day.  

This year Notre Dame will be honoring the following people:
Carl Philipp '61
Carole Surina Educator Award

Betsy Peddle Browne '88
Sister Marion Rielly Leadership Award

Stephen J. Sedensky III '76
Notre Dame Community Impact Award

Notre Dame Alumni Hall of Fame Inductees
Noreen  Swaller Kokoruda '65, Bernadette Baldino '67 John Hardiman '75, Louis DiPalma '79, Thomas McCarthy '92

Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees
Charles Brophy, Louis Tranquillo '70, Peter Tranquillo '71 Dennis McLaughlin '72, Martha Cleary '91, Elizabeth Cleary '91

Team Inductees
1969-1972 Hockey, 1972 Boys' Basketball,  1987 Girls' Basketball

                 

If you have an auction gift to donate (form attached) or would like to sponsor our event, please contact Theresa Marzik at tmarzik@notredame.org or 203-372-6521 ext. 38. 

Let's celebrate Notre Dame's past, present and exciting future -- become a part of the Notre Dame Lancer Legacy Gala!

This Week at ND...
Students Attend March for Life
Mounting a bus sponsored by Kolbe Cathedral High School, our students day began as early as it is possible, 12 midnight, to participate in the annual March for Life in Washington, DC. Four Notre Dame students participated in the annual March for Life, Geovanna Badaro '16, Daniel Mendez '15, Katelyn Pires '15 and Ciara Rivera '16 accompanied by Fr. Luke Suarez to peacefully witness the sanctity of All Human Life. While the trip was a whirlwind to and from Washington DC within 22 hours, it proved a meaningful experience to the Notre Dame students who joined an estimated 650 thousand peaceful protesters. Ciara Rivera commented about attending the March for Life saying, "I look forward to attending next year, it was an amazing experience!" Planning for next year, Fr. Luke hopes to be able to charter a bus leaving from Notre Dame that would enable additional students and parents to attend.

English Department Update
Juniors will be starting the annual Research Paper process in the very near future. The successful competition of a research process is a requirement for English 3 and American History.

Student Work
Mr. Testani's art classes finished making 8 Bit art by combining computer style graphics with paintings and drawings. You can view more work by visiting 

Work by: (from top left) Lindsay Salvati '18, Jacob Rainey '18 (from bottom left) Nakia Mabin '15, Millennia Polanco '18 and Safeen Ahmad '17
Attention Parents and Students...

 

Catholic Schools Week
Due to the weather significantly impacting our schedule last week, our celebration of Catholic Schools Week was postpone one week. Therefore, this coming week, each day has been designated for a special event. Notre Dame's schedule includes:
  • Monday - School-wide mass celebrating Notre Dame
  • Tuesday - Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day
  • Wednesday - Parent/Guardian Appreciation Day. Please join us for coffee and bagels in the library from 7:00 - 8:30 am.
  • Thursday - Student Appreciation Day
  • Friday - Community Service Day
The final week of our 26 Acts of Kindness Campaign was also postponed to this coming week. This final week's calendar includes:
  • Monday - Encourage Someone Today
  • Tuesday - Toiletry Collection for a local Homeless Shelter
  • Wednesday - Thank Your Parents/Guardians/ Grandparents Day
  • Thursday - Put a Smile on Someone's Face: Make Them Laugh Today
  • Friday - Community Service Day
Fairfield County's Community Foundation
An impressive array of scholarships is available from Fairfield County's Community Foundation. The online scholarship application portal for high school seniors going to college or vocational school is now available on the Foundation's website: www.fccfoundation.org. Click "Explore our Word" then "Awarding College Scholarships". The deadline for scholarship applications is March 20, 2015. 

 

Financial Aid Applications
Families with students currently in grades 9, 10 and 11 are reminded that families must re-apply for financial assistance on an annual basis. The deadline for applications is April 1, 2015. Click here to download an application or apply online by clicking here.  

 

Interested in Hosting an International Student?

Any family interested in hosting an international student for the upcoming school year is encouraged to contact AIEP. AIEP currently oversees 15 Chinese students at Notre Dame. Click here for information about hosting an international student in your home.

 

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.
Club News...
Care Club 
Care Club members will begin our "spring" visits to the Jewish Home Day Care at Grasmere on February 2. Sign-ups for the March 3 trip can be made on the list in the library. We plan on having a fun time with the wonderful clients.
Campus Ministry...
Drivers Needed
Campus Ministry is still in need of drivers for Community Service Day on Friday, February 6.  If you are Virtus-trained and are available to convey students to their work sites at any time between 7am and 2pm, please email Mr. St.Onge at jstonge@notredame.org.  Even if you can only drive for a limited period of time during the aforementioned window, we can still use the help! 

Students Work with RISE
On Friday January 30, Campus Ministry sponsored a service activity with RISE. ND students helped Miss Medoff by pairing with students from the RISE (Reaching Independence through Supported Education) Program which is for students 18-21 with limited cognitive functioning. All students enjoyed an afternoon working on their social skills, eating lunch, and playing board games. ND participants included Mary McGuire '18, Margaux Atkins '18, Owen Granberg '18, Matheus DosSantos '18, Niha Begum '17, Stella Henry '17, Ryan O'Connell '16, Bryanna D'Arcangelo '16, Mariah Martin '15, Sommer Miller '15, and Andrew Brown '15.


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...

Juniors

The Guidance Office has mailed letters to Junior parents in regards to setting up a meeting with your junior student, parent and guidance counselor to start the college search and planning process. Please return the bottom portion of the letter to the Guidance Office. Counselors will be meeting with student/parent during school hours.  Times available to meet with the counselors are: 8:00 am - 2:00 pm in February through to April. If you didn't receive a letter, please contact the Guidance Office.

 

Sophomore and Juniors - PSAT Scores

Scores from the PSAT test that were given in October 2014 have been mailed home to parents and students.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to be in contact with the student's guidance counselor via email or 

(203) 374-2618.

 

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.

 

Scholarships Available (check Naviance for details):

 

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.
Lancer Athletics...
Spring Sports Sign - Ups
All students interested in playing baseball, softball, boys' lacrosse, girls' lacrosse, boys' & girls' track and field, boys' golf, girls' golf, or girls' tennis need to sign up in Mr. Bleggi's office.  Sign-ups begin on Monday, January 26 and will end on Thursday, February 12.  See Mr. Bleggi with any questions.

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 at Sacred Heart) and all home boys' and girls' hockey games at the Milford Ice Pavilion. Cost of the shirt is $20. 
 
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.

This Week in Sports
Click here to view the upcoming Lancers sports schedule.
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.