Dates to Remember
Saturday, Oct. 26
Entrance Exam
8:30 am
Monday, Oct. 28
ND Walk-a-thon
11:00 am dismissal
Wednesday, Oct. 30
Underclassmen Yearbook Pictures
Thursday, Oct. 31
Halloween Dress Up Day
Friday, Nov. 1
All Saints Day
Dismissal at 11:34 am
Tuesday, Nov. 5
Faculty Professional Development
Dismissal at 11 am
Thursday, Nov. 7
Jesuit College Fair 10-11 am,
Report Card Distribution & Parent Teacher Conferences
1:00 - 4:00 pm
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Friday, Nov. 8 Faculty/Staff Retreat
No School
Saturday, Nov. 9
Wine Tasting
7:00 pm
Thursday, Nov. 14
Academic Awards Banquet and Honor Societies Induction
Gym
6:30 pm
Friday, Nov. 15
Senior Class Retreat
Tuesday, Nov. 26
ND Family Thanksgiving Mass
Gym
6:30 pm
Wednesday, Nov. 27 - Friday, Nov. 29
No School
Thanksgiving Break
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If you have a Target Red Card, you can designate Notre Dame to be the recipient of Target's donation of 1% of your annual purchases. All you need to do is link your card to Notre Dame, shop and use your Red Card at Target. It's that easy. In the summer, we received a check for $231.75 thanks to those who designated Notre Dame last school year. Click here to sign up for this program. |
Help earn money for Notre Dame by registering your Stop and Shop card with the store's A+ School Rewards Program.
Click here to register your card today! You must re-register each year. Participation in this program does not affect gas points.
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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
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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
cipriano@notredame.org. We look forward to the opportunity to share your good news with the entire Notre Dame community.
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Commemorative Bricks
ND is selling commemorative bricks which pave the entrance way of our school.
Commemorative bricks are a way to honor ND families, graduates, parents, faculty members and friends. Each brick is $65, of which 100% of the proceeds are allocated to helping Notre Dame maintain its high level of academic excellence. Click here for an order form.
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 ... to Mrs. Mary Guarino, ND Spanish teacher and chairperson of the Modern Language Department. On October 21, at the CoCo Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Waterbury, Mrs. Guarino was honored by the Connecticut Council Of Language Teachers (CT COLT) for her 25 plus (successful) years in the teaching profession. Mrs. Guarino was nominated for this prestigious award by a former student. ... Coach Olivera, Coach Budreckas and the boys' and girls' soccer teams who wrapped up their seasons this past week. Both teams fell just one win short of qualifying for the state tournament but ended with their best overall record in recent memory. ... to Brianna Mann '14, the team's lone senior, and the girls' volleyball team for their hard work this season. Click here to read a recent article on Brianna and the rest of the team from the Fairfield Citizen. 
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The annual ND Walk-a-thon will be held on Monday, October 28. All donations must be submitted by Monday morning before homeroom. Dismissal for all students will be at 11:00 am.
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Open House Update
 A tremendous thank you to everyone who helped to spread the word about Notre Dame's annual open house. We welcomed well over 300 families on Sunday -- our largest crowd in years! Families had the opportunity to tour campus and visit with students, teachers, parents, coaches and alumni. Thank you to all the volunteers to helped to make the event a tremendous success! In addition, our Admissions Office began its Shadow Day program on Thursday, welcoming 23 prospective eighth grade students to Notre Dame. Your continued support of Notre Dame is very much appreciated. To read Mr. Cipriano's blog entry about Open House, Exceeding Expectations, click here.  | |
Above: Prospective students work on stained glass windows and a graffiti wall in our Art room while others join in a Zumba class, led by members of our Dance class.
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Thank you to everyone who participated in Operation Lawn Sign! Our signs were seen all over the greater-Fairfield area. Getting out the word no doubt helped to increase Open House attendance this year. If you could return the lawn sign to our main office it would be greatly appreciated. (We will be able to change the date and reuse them next year.)
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Join the Alumni Association
The first meeting of the newly formed Notre Dame High School Alumni Association will take place on Tuesday, November 5 at 7:00 pm in the ND library. All Notre Dame alumni and alumni parents are invited to attend this important meeting. Please RSVP to Theresa Marzik, Alumni Director at marzik@notredame.org if you plan on attending or would like additional information. Remember "Once a Lancer, Always a Lancer".
Class of '78 Celebrates 35th Reunion
 Notre Dame's Class of '78 celebrated their 35th reunion at the Stone Barn in Monroe this past Saturday. Nancy (Florence) Sweeney (first row, third from the left) is mom to Morgan Sweeney '15.
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Junior Trip to Boston
 The juniors traveled to Boston for their annual class trip on Tuesday. Enjoying just perfect weather, the group toured Boston by road and water on a Duck Tour, enjoyed lunch at Quincy Market and walked several miles of the Freedom Trail, ending at the Old North Church. Special thanks to faculty chaperones: Mrs. Miller, Mr. Sopko, Fr. Cipriani, Mr. Mildrum and Mr. Cipriano and parent chaperones: Mr. Samultulski, Mrs. Reed, Mrs. Stefanatos, Mrs. Rowland, Mrs. Peterson and Mrs. Dawe.  3D Art Classes Get in the Spirit of Halloween
 Mr. Testani's 3D art class created a Halloween installation of a person exploding onto the scene. The art students came up with various ideas and sketches and created a way to make the drawing into a 3D display. The students painted stickers in various colors and then cut them up into different shapes. The stickers were then placed on the board and built up into cone form where a skull was placed at the end.  |
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Campus Ministry Update ...
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ND Cheerleaders Participate in Suicide Awareness Walk
On Sunday, our ND Cheerleaders were out in force to help draw attention and raise money for Suicide Awareness especially amongst young people. The day began with a rally that was attended by hundreds of people all over Connecticut who have been personally impacted by the loss of a loved one to suicide. Following the ceremony, the group took to the streets of Brookfield for a 3 mile-plus walk. A very special thank you to Margaret O'Reilly, Mary Grennon, Jess Medoff, Trisha Samatulski, Josh St. Onge and Kathy Stefanatos for helping to coordinate ND's participation in this event. In addition to our cheerleaders, the following students were present: Tori Samatulski '15, Becky Stefanatos '15, Charlie Fallon '14, Lauren Berard '14, Gabe Bitencourt '17 and Amber Drew '16.
Getting our Halloween On
The following students took to the Trail of Terror on Sunday for an evening of frightening entertainment: Brandon Chang '15, Hannah Rich '17, Kim Labady '14, Lauren Berard '14, Alicia Berard '16, Emmett Whelan '14 and John Shkreli '14.
Girls' Soccer Team Volunteers Time with Pre-Schoolers
 On Thursday, October 24 the following girls' soccer players accompanied the pre-K class of St. Andrew Academy to the Enchanted Castle at the Burr Mansion in Fairfield, where they met Cinderella, Captain Jack, the Little Mermaid, Dorothy and a host of other wonderful characters. Thank you to the following students who helped with this event: Sierra Chavez '16, Raina Ceryak '16, Bea Escalhao '14, Bryanna D'Arcangelo '16, Lizette Dos Santos '14, Emily Wonsiewicz '15, Megan Peterlin '17, Maggie Halstead '15, Erika Quinones '17, Neya Vereen '16, Mariah Martin '16.
Students Help Coordinate Walk
Another most worthy cause: Thank you to the following students who helped to coordinate the Light the Night Leukemia/Lymphoma Cancer Awareness Walk in Norwalk on Friday, October 18th: Colleen O'Reilly '14, Hannah Spataj '15, Winston Crumb '14, Coco Cai '17, Gwen Vitale '14, Kimberly Labady '14, Nichole Miller '14 and Kristi Cao '17.
On Monday, Fr. Cip celebrated Mass for the volleyball team prior to their Senior Night Match with Brookfield. Congratulations Brianna Mann '14!
On Wednesday, Fr. Cip celebrated Mass for the boys' soccer team prior to their Senior Night at Sacred Heart. Congrats gentlemen on a well played season.
Upcoming Events:
- Tuesday, October 29 - Missionaries of Charity After School Program - Bridgeport
- Tuesday, October 29 - ND will be hosting the 1st grade class of Saint Joseph's in Shelton for a Halloween Party.
- Wednesday, October 30 - ND Movie/Pizza Night
- Saturday, November 2 - Youth Leadership Orientation: Get involved with reaching out to young people discussing today's issues that most effect their character development.
Help Needed!! Tuesday, November 26 - Thanksgiving Food distribution to the needy of Danbury: 4:30 to 7:30 pm.
For further information or to volunteer, please contact Fr. Cip during lunch or via email at cipriani@notredame.org.
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Mathematics Department Update...
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Students in the mathematics department are working on a variety of topics. Students of Algebra 1 have finished a section on solving linear equations, rates, ratios and proportions and have progressed to solving inequalities. Students in the high honors and honors programs are beginning work on functions and the characteristics of functions.
Geometry students are in the process of learning two different ways of finding the distance between two points, as well as the midpoint. Graphing of lines and seeing the visual representation of this concept is also used.
Students in Algebra 2 and Algebra 2/Trig have progressed from a chapter on transformations to a chapter on quadratics. This involves the graphing of the functions with the use of graphing calculators to the solving of quadratic equation by various methods. The idea of imaginary numbers has also been introduced to the students.
Analysis students have finished their study of conic sections. They have been working on the formulas of parabolas, circles, ellipses and hyperbolas. Besides identifying the various equations, they have also learned the graphing of these figures.
In Calculus, students are learning the different methods of derivatives. In Statistics, the students are working on measures of central tendency.
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Care Club
The Care Club enters its 30th year of service to the community with two projects. - Beginning October 28, we will join with the wives of Fairfield police officers in their "Project From the Heart". We ask each student to donate at least one item for our service people in Afghanistan from the lists posted in their homerooms. Boxes of supplies will be delivered in time for Christmas. Money donations for shipping costs are also gratefully accepted. If you would like a box sent to someone you know, please leave their address in the donation box located in the library.
- We are working again with Sister Eileen Boffa and the Bridgeport Homeless Project. Sister is asking for donations of new or used "hoodies" (parkas). They can be left in the library.
Any questions? Please contact Janet Haffner at Notre Dame and thank you for caring. Key Club
 The Key Club is beginning the UNICEF Trick-or-Treat Drive. All money that is received will go to The Eliminate Project. This project, sponsored by the Kiwanis and UNICEF, is to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. A newborn dies every 9 minutes from tetanus. Over 100 million women in more than 25 countries need our help. $1.80 can protect a woman and her future newborns from this painful disease. Funds raised through the trick or treat drive go to supporting the Eliminate Project. To learn more about this program, click here. See any Key Club member to donate or send contributions to Mrs. Miller or Miss Zembrzuski
Coming soon: The annual Thanksgiving Food & Turkey Drive. All homerooms will be receiving information soon. French Honor Society
Members of the French Honor Society are holding a Clothing Drive for the war-stricken Syrian people. The FHS is asking that all clothing donations be "gently-used" and clean or new. No size is too big or too small! In addition, the FHS is accepting light-weight boxes of non-perishable food items (ie: macaroni, cereal, tea, coffee, etc) that will also be shipped with the clothing. The collection box will be in Mme. Zac's room - 302A.
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Underclassmen Yearbook Pictures
Freshmen, sophomores and juniors will have their annual Yearbook pictures taken on Wednesday during English classes. Students have either already received or will receive early next week picture order forms. Click here to view picture packages and pricing. Regardless of whether or not students order pictures, they will be photographed (in uniform) on Wednesday. If ordering pictures, please send exact payment. Robert Taylor Photography is the official photographer of Notre Dame High School.
Sister Marion Rielly Mass and Breakfast
The Annual Sister Marion Rielly Mass and Breakfast will take place on Sunday, November 17 at 10:15 am in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Sacred Heart University. We especially welcome our freshmen and transfer students and their families at this mass. Sister Marion Rielly, former principal of Notre Dame, passed away 30 years ago. Each year we celebrate her legacy and all she did for Notre Dame. This event supports the Sister Marion Rielly Scholarship Fund which provides three scholarships each year to a sophomore, junior and senior student. If you would like to attend this event, please contact Theresa Marzik at marzik@notredame.org.
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Don't Miss the November 1st Deadline
 The Senior Class trip to Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Busch Gardens will be held from March 28 to March 31, 2014. The trip will include Baltimore's Inner Harbor, sightseeing in Washington, D.C., and rides and attractions at Busch Gardens. The cost of the trip is $475. A non-refundable deposit of $100 as well as the Rooming List form are due by November 1, 2013. Final payment of $375 is due on February 1, 2014. Checks should be made out to Notre Dame Catholic High School. Click on the following links for more information:Trip Details, Contract, Rooming List.
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Attention Junior Parents...
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S.A.T and College Planning
The Guidance Department is sponsoring a program for parents to discuss the S.A.T. and College Planning for junior students. You are encouraged to attend this important presentation. The meeting will be held on, Monday, November 4 at 7:00 pm, in the Curtis Hall Theatre at Sacred Heart University. The following topics will be discussed:
- Introduction to College Process
- Discussion of the S.A.T. and A.C.T.
- Introduction to Naviance
Notre Dame uses the college guidance program Naviance. A letter was sent home with a registration card for your use. Please be sure to go online and register with your son/daughter. We look forward to meeting with you.
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Representatives from the following colleges will be available to meet with seniors the week of October 28th in Room 206
Seniors are reminded that they must sign up for these visits in Guidance at least two days prior to receive a pass. The full schedule of college visits is available on Naviance. GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program The GE-Reagan Foundation Scholarship Program annually awards 20 college-bound students who demonstrated exemplary leadership, drive, integrity, and citizenship with $10,000 renewable scholarships. Click here for more information, eligibility requirements and an on-line application. |
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Attention Freshman & Sophomore Parents...
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College Planning Meeting - It's Never Too Early!
Join us on October 28 at 7:00 pm in the Curtis Hall Theater at Sacred Heart University for an informational meeting on beginning the college planning process early. Using her own experiences, Lee Ann Boyle, the mother of four Notre Dame graduates, will speak about investing your time and how to be more prepared for the college process as a Junior and Senior. This is a must-attend for all parents!
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Order Before October 31 to Receive Discounted Price
 Students and parents can now place an order for 2014 Yearbooks. Order before October 31 to receive the discounted price of $70. Click here to order on-line. Simply enter Notre Dame's order number 14196 and place your order. |
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Parent Association Update...
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Parent Volunteers
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 kevin@notredame.org for questions or information on completing a volunteer packet. Christmas Wreath Sale
 The Parent Association is sponsoring a Christmas Wreath Sale. Pre-order sales will be taken through Monday, November 11. Wreaths are fresh from Fort Fairfield, Maine and will be delivered to Notre Dame the first week of December. Please spread the word to friends and family and support the Notre Dame Parent Association. Click here for the order form.
 ND Mugs For Sale
The Home School Association is selling ND mugs for $10 each. Contact Theresa Marzik at marzik@notredame.org to get yours today.
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Athletic Association Update...
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Join the ND Athletic Association
The Notre Dame Athletic Association membership drive is now underway. The mission of the Notre Dame Athletic Association is to promote quality athletic programs and assist in funding for these programs for all student-athletes at Notre Dame. The Athletic Association is involved with all athletic activities at Notre Dame and everyone in the ND community is welcome and encouraged to join. If you are interested, please fill out the attached membership application and return it to Jim Olayos, Director of Athletic Advancement. Feel free to contact Mr. Olayos with any questions at olayos@notredame.org.
Wine Tasting
The Notre Dame Athletic Association will be hosting its third annual Wine Tasting event on Saturday, November 9 from 7:00 - 9:00 pm in the Notre Dame cafeteria. Admission is $25 per person ($35 at the door). Everyone is invited -- bring your friends and family for a fun night out! Click here for more information. Thank you in advance for your support of this event. For more information please contact Kathy Stefanatos at kpstef@aol.com. |
All students who have completed volunteer work in the past year are invited to apply for the Prudential Spirit of Community Award. One student from each state will be designated as a State Honoree, win a $1,000 award and an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. in May 2014. To access the on-line application, click here. The deadline for submitting an application is November 5. Emerging Young Artist Scholarship The annual Emerging Young Artist Scholarship Award of $2,000 created by Stamford Center for the Arts will be awarded to a high school student residing in Fairfield County who is pursuing his/her career in the performing arts. This year the award will be given for Original Composition. The deadline for all materials to be received is February 24, 2014. The finalists will be contacted in late February for a live audition scheduled for March 8, 2014. Click here to view more information. |
Football Team Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
 The Notre Dame football team will once again join in a unified stance with the NFL Players Association to help create a world with less breast cancer and more birthdays by participating in the NFL "A Crucial Catch" campaign. The Notre Dame Lancers will hold their event on Saturday, November 2 at home. Game time is 2:30 pm. Fans are asked to come and support the team as they raise money to support the American Cancer Society's mission to help others. All proceeds raised from the sales of raffle tickets, baked goods and 50/50 will be donated to the Cancer Society on behalf of Notre Dame. So please wear your pink and join us in an afternoon of fun, football and the fight against cancer.
Boys Basketball Managers Wanted
The boys basketball team is looking for two managers for the upcoming season. Students must be able to commit to home and away games. Students will receive service hours for their work. If interested, please see Mr. Bleggi. Winter Sports
The last day to sign up for winter sports is Tuesday, October 29th. Sign up with Mr. Bleggi in Room 201. Free Custom Mouthguards DeJesus Dental Group is offering free custom mouthguards to every student athlete at ND. Call 203-372-1220 to schedule an appointment to get fitted for your free mouthguard. Click here for more information. |
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