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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. Our campaign will resume after midterms, on Monday, January 25.
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
  • 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
Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day - February 2
Please consider volunteering to bake or bring a breakfast goodie for our Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day during Catholic Schools Week on February 2.  Anyone interested in helping out, please contact the Parent Association at ndparentassociation@gmail.com.
Parent Association Meeting - January 20 CANCELLED
The Parent Association meeting scheduled for January 20 has been cancelled.  Please join us at the next meeting on Wednesday, February 17 in the library at 6:45pm (immediately following the Athletic Association meeting). 
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.
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
EMT Course Offered
Easton EMS (448 Sport Hill Rd, Easton) will be jointly hosting an EMT class with Monroe. Individuals 16 years of age and older are eligible to attend. Classes will begin in late January and run through late spring and be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7-10 pm and one Saturday per month. Classes will take place in Monroe EMS Headquarters and Easton EMS Headquarters according a schedule TBD.

A discount to residents of Easton and Monroe is being offered: only $250.00 plus cost of books. Non residents' cost is $600.00 plus cost of books. Click here for more information or visit WWW.EASTONEMS.COM.
The Genealogy & Language Groups to Host The Catholic Church & the 1916 Rising
The Genealogy and Language Groups will host "The Catholic Church and the 1916 Rising", on February 7, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in the Carolan Room at the Gaelic American Club, 74 Beach Road in Fairfield. This lecture is open to the general public.
The lecture will be presented by Oliver P. Rafferty, SJ, Professor of History and Director of Irish Studies Programs, at Boston College. Fr. Rafferty will examine the attitude of the Catholic Church during the 1916 Rising, the controversy over whether the Pope had blessed the rising, condemnation of the rebellion by individual priests and bishops, and Vatican pressure on the Irish hierarchy to try to instill in the insurgents respect for the governing power. These and other issues will be explored in the course of the lecture.

Help plan seating and refreshments by registering in advance. Tickets are $5.00 ($2.00 for students with student ID). Register on-line at: marroyo@optonline.net, subject: "Irish History" and mail your check payable to "Feile, Inc." to: Mary Adams-Arroyo, 221 McGrath Court, Stratford, CT 06615. Please provide name, address, phone and email. For more information, call Mary at (203) 377-2346. This event is sponsored by Feile, Inc. Click here for more information. 
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
Reminder to Seniors and Senior Parents
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.
SAT Prep - First Choice College
Get a jump start on your first opportunity to take the new SAT test. First Choice College, our SAT prep partner, is announcing its next SAT prep class.  

The class began on Thursday, January 21, and meets after school for the March 5 SAT test. First Choice College offers 4 hours of instruction, 3 full-length practice test for $599. Click here and use NDFRSAT100 as your discount code. For more information call 203-878-7998.
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
Girls' Soccer State Championship Banquet
A banquet will be held for the girls' soccer team on Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 6pm at Vazzano's Four Seasons in Stratford. Click here for more information.
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.
Spring Sports
Sign-ups for Spring Sports begin on Tuesday, January 19 in Mr. Bleggi's office (Room 201).  Spring sports include baseball, softball, boys' lacrosse, girls' lacrosse, boys' golf, girls' golf, boys'/girls' track & field, girls' tennis.  Sign ups will end on Friday, February 5.
Get Your Lancer Gang Shirt and Get in for Free!
Notre Dame Lancer Gang long sleeve shirts are on sale in Mr. Olayos' office. The shirt is $20 and entitles the student to free admission to all home boys' and girls' basketball games (including games at Sacred Heart) and all home hockey games.
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