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ND Spotlight
December Students of the Month
Congratulations to our December Students of the Month: Ciara Rivera '15, Paul Keegan '19, Noreaga Davis '18 and Samantha LaValle '17. Students were nominated by faculty members and selected based upon their citizenship, school and community service and the academic achievement.
ND Happenings
Belated Happy Holidays from the Notre Dame Dance Program
Click on the link below to view the video of the Notre Dame Dance program's Christmas card. They wish everyone a happy and healthy new year!

ND Dance Christmas Greeting 2015
ND Dance Christmas Greeting 2015
Graphic Design Projects: Comic Book-Style
Sophomores in the Graphic Design classes are learning how to take a normal photograph and turn it into comic book-style art. This Photoshop project utilizes multiple layers, filters, masks and image adjustments. Students will be creating a full comic strip in the near future with dialogue and multiple panels.
Spanish Club Christmas Fiesta
The Spanish Club had its Christmas fiesta in December and had tons of fun! Aside from feasting on quesadillas, rice and beans, empanadas, and guacamole, students had their annual Santa face race. The team of freshmen Katelyn Pond and Jordana Smith beat the senior team of Breiana Campbell and Cheyenne Perez.  Better luck next time seniors! We hope everyone had a "Feliz Navidad".
Spanish Class Family Trees
Mrs. Guarino's Spanish I classes are studying family vocabulary and culture.  The classes compared our English speaking family traditions of the U.S. with those of the Hispanic culture throughout the world. Students then designed their own Family Trees, using Spanish vocabulary and presented them orally to the class. Olé! 
Contemporary Art Projects
Contemporary Art classes are creating space-themed images using various mediums to incorporate textures and iconic space imagery. You can view these works around the school or online by clicking here. 

Raina Ceryak '16
Katie Ciufo '18
Parent and Student Update
26 Acts of Kindness Campaign
Please join with the ND community as we hold our fourth annual 26 Acts of Kindness campaign now through the beginning of February. Click here to view our full Acts of Kindness calendar. Here's what's coming up for Week 4:
  • Monday, January 11 - Be Kind to the Environment Day 
  • Tuesday, January 12 - Collection - Donate a canned good for a local shelter 
  • Wednesday, January 13  - Tutor/Study with a Classmate Day


Thank you to everyone who donated used children's and teen books for our collection this week. Hundreds of books were donated!

To view the recent NBC Nightly News story about our 26 Acts of Kindness campaign, click here. 
Service Day Parent Volunteers Needed
On Friday, February 5, Notre Dame students will participate in their annual Service Day campaign during the school day. Over 200 students will visit over 20 different volunteer sites to cap off Catholic Schools Week and our 26 Acts of Kindness Campaign. Parent volunteers are needed to help transport students and chaperone at these different work sites. If you are able to transport and chaperone on February 5, please email our Director of Campus Ministry Jessica Medoff at jmedoff@notredame.org. All volunteers must be Virtus-trained. Student sign ups for Service Day will happen after mid-term exams.
Mid-Term Schedule & Information
  • Thursday, January 14 - Period B & C Exams
  • Friday, January 15 - Period D & E Exams
  • Monday, January 18 - No School - MLK Holiday
  • Tuesday, January 19 - Period F & G Exams
  • Wednesday, January 20 - Period H Exams
  • Thursday, January 21 - Make-Up Exam Day (for approved absences only)
  • Friday, January 22 - Third Marking Period Begins 
The first exam period of the day begins at 8:00 am (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 20 when only one exam is scheduled. There is no bus transportation of the make-up exam day (1/21/16).
 
Delays and Cancellations 
If school is closed for weather, the exam schedule is pushed back one day. For example, if January 14 is a snow day, the Period B & C exams will be given on January 15 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. 
Support Notre Dame Through Our Shutterfly Store!
By visiting this link, you will be brought directly to our site with Shutterfly. Choose one of the four available stores described below and order just like you normally would. Notre Dame will receive 13% of any order placed through our storefront! Find deals at the following online retailers to help support ND: Shutterfly - Where your photos come to life in photo books, cards, gifts and home decor.
Tinyprints - Premium cards and stationery for all life's occasions.
Wedding Paper Divas - Wedding invitations and stationery at a one stop wedding shop. Borrowlenses - Online photo and video equipment rental.
Yearbooks are on Sale! 
Pre-orders for 2016 Yearbooks are now being taken. To order on-line, click here. Next, enter in Notre Dame's code: 14196. Yearbooks are $80 each.
Athletic Association Update
Car Raffle
The Athletic Association is sponsoring a car raffle with only one prize awarded: a 1980 Vintage I82 Corvette T top convertible. Tickets are $100 and only 250 tickets will be sold. The drawing will be held at Sacred Heart University on March 12, the night of the Notre Dame Gala. Tickets can be obtained in Mr. Olayos' office or email him at jolayos@notredame.org to reserve your ticket.
Alumni Association Update
Be A Part of ND's 60th Anniversary 
Notre Dame High School was founded in 1955 by the Most Reverend LawrenceSheehan. In 1955, construction of Notre Dame High School began on Park Avenue in Bridgeport. In 1956, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur began teaching Notre Dame's first class of girls at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Fairfield while the high school was being built. Finally, in September of 1957, 1,000 students (freshmen and sophomores, boys and girls) walked through the doors of Notre Dame High School on Park Avenue. 

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of Notre Dame (the oldest high school in the Diocese of Bridgeport) we are planning a year-long celebration of events which will begin in September, 2016 and run through September, 2017. We are looking for alumni, alumni parents, current parents, faculty (past and present), and friends of Notre Dame to help us plan this extraordinary event in our school's history.
 
If you would like to be a part of the celebration, please contact Theresa Marzik at tmarzik@notredame.org. 
Parent Association Update
Parent Association Meeting - January 20
Please join us at the next monthly Parent Association meeting on Wednesday, January 20 in the library at 6:45 pm (immediately following the Athletic Association  meeting). All are welcome!
Lancer Legacy Gala
The annual Lancer Legacy Gala will take place on March 12, 2016 at Sacred Heart University.  This event is Notre Dame's biggest fundraiser of the year and supports activities, technology, campus ministry, etc. at ND.  Parents are encouraged to volunteer their time and talents to make the 2016 Lancer Legacy Gala a success!  Please email Theresa Marzik at tmarzik@notredame.org if you would like to volunteer or need additional information. All are invited to two upcoming Gala meetings: Tuesday, January 12 and Thursday, January 14 at 6:30 pm in the library.
Join the ND Parent Association 
If you haven't had a chance to join the ND Parent Association yet, please consider signing up today!  Membership dues are $10 per family per year and you can join online by clicking here.
Opportunities
Scholarships Available
The Palace in Stamford is sponsoring several scholarship awards for high school students. The first will be awarded to four high school students for their writing of an original 15 minute, one act play. In additional to the scholarship, there will be a staged reading of the play with renowned New York actors. In addition, two scholarships will be awarded to one actor and one actress for their performance of a monologue or a scene from a play with another student. Visit the Palace website by clicking here for additional details under the Education Tab. The deadline for material submission is February 22, 2016.
Guidance Department Update
Seniors
January and February are the months for Financial Aid deadlines for all colleges.  Please check to see if your FAFSA and Profile are completed and if there is any other financial paper work needed for each individual college or university that you are applying to or have already been accepted to.

 

Please be sure to check out the scholarships that have been listed on Naviance. When on Naviance, click on Scholarships and see which scholarships you are eligible for. Please feel free to stop by the Guidance Office with any questions. The list is updated as the scholarship information comes into the Guidance office. 


Lancer Athletics
Support ND Athletics and Place an Ad in our Program
Program advertising is available! Simply write down what you would like it to say and the ND Graphic Design students will lay out and design your ad for you! Or attach a business card and they will scan it at high resolution for placement in the program. Place an ad for your business, your child or for your favorite player or cheerleader. The ad will appear in all girls' and boys' home game programs. Click here for an order form.
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