1 The Crusader Elmira, New York Connection Get connected! October 2017 Volume 13 Issue 2 7 th & 8 th Grade News Campus Ministry Calendar Open House The Arts & Music Guidance Advancement Project Graduation NDHS Expedition Mexico Costume/Sneaker Drive 2 3 4 5 6 7 7-8 9 10 11 From the Principal s Desk Dear Fellow Crusaders: Message from the president On Friday, September 22 th, Notre Dame High School celebrated Mercy Day, the day our Foundress, Catherine McAuley opened the first House of Mercy on Baggot Street in Dublin, Ireland. The student body remembered Catherine s deep faith and service to the poor, the sick and the uneducated. With song and word, they were encouraged to be kind and merciful and enter into acts of loving service to their friends, classmates and those in need in the community. The grace needed to enter into these acts of loving service is summed up in the prayer of Saint Ignatius. Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost; to fight and not to heed the wounds; to toil and not to seek for rest; to labor and not to ask for reward, except to know that I am doing your will. Perhaps this is best illustrated in a story that Roy Popkins told about an old man who collapsed on a Brooklyn street corner and was rushed to Kings County Hospital. After some amateur detective work, a nurse located what seemed to be the man s son, who was a marine stationed in North Carolina. When the marine arrived, the nurse said to the old man, Your son is here. The old man, now heavily sedated, reached out his hand feebly. The marine took it and held it tenderly for the next four hours. Occasionally the nurse suggested the marine take a break, but he refused. About dawn the old man died. After he passed away, the marine said to the nurse, Who was that man? The nurse said, Wasn t he your father? No replied the marine, but I saw he was dying and needed a son badly, so I stayed. When was the last time you went out of your way to be with another person simply because that person needed you? We at Notre Dame hope that all of our students will go out of their way to serve a need in the manner of our foundress, Catherine McAuley. Sister Mary Walter Hickey, RSM President I want to thank you all for an outstanding first month of the school year. As I m slowly learning names and faces, I continue to be impressed by the dedication of our students, both in and out of the classroom. As I ve popped into classrooms, I ve had the opportunity to see our students in action. Whether they re debating a topic, working in partners on an activity or project, performing a skit to spotlight what they ve learned, conducting a lab, utilizing technology, or performing in music and band, our students are engaged and committed to learning. Outside of school, we ve had an exciting month of sports, from our undefeated football team, as well as impressive results from our cross country, tennis, and boys and girls soccer teams and the girls swim team. Clubs are starting to meet, and we ve even added some new initiatives this year, including a Science Olympiad Team and the formation of a Spirit Club. (If you haven t checked out the YouTube video from their performance at Mercy Day, click here! Finally, I m very proud of our students, especially for the enthusiasm I ve witnessed from students wanting to start drives and clubs to help those in need and improve our community. This is truly the best lesson learned. As things continue to fall into place this season and as the leaves begin to change colors, there have been some changes happening at Notre Dame as well. If you ve been on campus within the past week, you may have noticed a new directional sign and parking spaces marked with Visitor Parking signs in front of the main entrance. (Don t worry. All those signs warning that your car may be towed are long gone). This is all in an effort to make parents and other visitors to our campus feel welcome and valued.
Page 2 2 October 2017 From the Principal s Desk (con t) - We re also attempting to establish a closer connection with our stakeholders through the use of social media. In addition to Facebook, we re now utilizing Twitter once again to keep you posted on various happenings. Be sure to follow Notre Dame High School on Twitter (NDHS_Elmira) to get the latest updates on extracurricular activities and events from school. In hopes of strengthening our communications with parents and students, your children s grades will soon be available to view through the Schooltool portal as well. Beginning next week, grades will be accessible to students and parents online, all the time. This will enable you not only to check on overall grades but also to determine what assignments may be missing. By creating this access to grades and assignments, our hope is to empower our Notre Dame students to effectively manage their course load. Finally, in the spirit of making our campus more welcoming to our parents and other stakeholders, I encourage you to reach out to me with your concerns or questions. I ve added a suggestion box outside my door and encourage anyone to leave a note, whether it be students, faculty and staff, or any of Notre Dame s visitors to school. I can be reached at franklind@notredamehighschool.com, by phone at (607) 734-2267 ext. 316 or in person. Thank you all; it s through your commitment to Notre Dame High School that we all continue to do better. -Deborah Franklin-Principal 7th & 8th GRADE NEWS ~ Autumn certainly gusted in to us beautifully, with leaves, geese, and cooler temperatures, just as we have surged into the school year. It seems amazing that we are coming up on the first set of progress reports. Our 7 th and 8 th graders have settled in well, having learned many new skills and routines in addition to academic content. Fall will bring excitement to our junior high students well beyond pumpkins and candy corn. On Wednesday, October 11 th, while the upper classes have testing day, the junior high will travel for field trips. Watch for permission slips and more information coming home with your student and in your email. On Saturday, October 28, from 7-9PM, we ll be having our third annual Junior High Night Out at Dixie Bowling Lanes in Southport. We re hoping to have as many junior high students attend as possible for a repeat of last year s fun. Tickets, for $10, cover the cost of 2 games and bowling shoes and will be available in homeroom. All proceeds will be used to support the Junior High Ministry at the Elmira Community Kitchen. Snacks and beverages will be available for purchase at Dixie Lanes. Junior High service at the Elmira Community Kitchen continues this year. We have already served over 100 meals in September, with more every first Wednesday of the month. We hope that all students will find the time to participate in this very personal service opportunity. ND s Junior High provides, cooks, and serves supper. Another way for families to help is to contribute to our signature meal by donating Italian Salad Dressing, canned crushed tomatoes, or cash to help pay for the groceries. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide. Fast Food was the theme of the first Junior High STEM CLUB this year. Under the amazing direction of 5 engineers from DePuy Synthes, our budding engineers designed cars made totally from food and raced them down a ramp. Our winner with the fastest speed was 7 th grader Tilly Shepherd. However, all students won by learning engineering, science, and math skills, as well as having snacks and oodles of fun. The next STEM CLUB will be held on Thursday, November 2, 3-4PM. We are also exploring Science Olympiad projects, hoping to field a team in the Grades 7-9 Competition next year. We are delighted that many junior high students will be appearing in our school musical The Little Mermaid. Come and applaud our talented young performers-watch the Crusader Connection for dates and times. Save the date for the Junior High Snowflake Ball! It will be held on Saturday, December 9, 7:30-10PM at the Faith Formation Center at St. Casimir s in Elmira. Our junior high student government, the Mercy Core Group, will be helping to plan this event. I m practicing and revising my McAuley Award speech as I write this article. Please know how honored I am to receive this award and to be able to work here at Notre Dame, where the teachings of Jesus and Catherine McAuley drive all of our programs. I wish you peace, contentment, and the joys of gratitude during this harvest season. STEM- FAST FOOD Karen Jennings-7th & 8th Gr. Coordinator
Page33 October 2017 Did you hear about our joyous, spiritual and inspiring Mercy Day celebration? Have you seen our Mercy is a Song video? We are a YouTube sensation (https://youtu.be/vms5ybvfzdc )! To say that we had a lively celebration with students who were enthusiastically entertained and engaged would be an understatement. We experienced their infectious energy as they began our service with Shine Jesus Shine praise music. Equally impressive were senior members of our new Spirit Club who met mornings before school to prepare a Mercy hand mime (https://youtu.be/0e7c4djrsai). Their commitment is a testimony to the spirit of Notre Dame. Overall, it was a joyful tribute to Catherine McAuley and our Sisters of Mercy heritage. A special thank-you to Sue Tanner and Robert Stanley for their invaluable contributions. In the following week, many students shared that they have added praise songs to their play lists. In response to their enthusiasm, we have implemented Praise Music Friday, where lively Christian music will be played on the intercom following Friday announcements. How fun is that! Much gratitude to Deb Franklin who is receptive to our SPIRIT Club and their new and noisy ideas! Freshmen students recently participated in their class retreat at the Mount Savior Monastery. With the Good Shepherd theme, monastery sheep provided the perfect environment. Faculty and senior staff served as the shepherds who led our Notre Dame sheep. We worked, played, prayed and celebrated Mass. It was a good day. And, there were no lost sheep! Please keep our school, our students and our faculty in your prayers. May we walk in faith and mercy, always mindful that we are called to serve in the spirit of self-less love. Marie McCaig Campus Minister
Page 4 October 2017 4 Oct 3 McAuley Dinner Oct 4 Soup Kitchen - Gr. 7 & 8 Project Graduation Mtg. 6:30 pm Rm 110 Oct 7 Oct 9 Oct 11 Oct 16 Oct. 19 Oct 20 Oct 26 SAT Columbus Day - No School Progress Reports, Sr. High Testing Day PSAT, Pre ACT Gr. 7 & 8 Field Trips PG - Krispy Crème Sale Freshman Poinsettia Sale Sophomore Mercy Mission Candy Sale Ends Conference Day - No School Picture Retake Day Blood Drive 8:30-1:30 pm PG Meeting - 6:30 pm Rm 110 Nov 1 Nov 3 Nov 4 Nov 5 Nov 10 Nov 11 Nov 13 Nov 14 Nov 17-18 Nov 22-24 Feast of All Saints Soup Kitchen - Gr. 7 & 8 Jr. Area All State-Hornell Jr. Area All State - Hornell Casino Royale SATs Open House 1-3 pm Veteran sday - No School The Little Mermaid The Little Mermaid Parent Teacher Night Sophomore Cookie Dough Junior Mercy Mission Day Senior Area All State - Elmira H.S. Thanksgiving Recess Oct 27 Oct 28 Oct 31 7 th Grade Retreat ACT Bowling Night Out for 7th & 8th Gr. Turkey Day 5K Bake Sale
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Page 6-June 2017 6 THE ARTS Last school year, Mrs. Leeber s Ceramics II students partnered with the Catholic Charities Samaritan Center to make bowls for the annual Empty Bowls Luncheon. The Ceramics II students spend the majority of the semester learning how to throw on the wheel, so making bowls for the luncheon was the perfect pairing. It takes a lot of time, patience and practice to throw a successful piece on the wheel, so the fact that each student was required to make something that they were proud of knowing it was intended for someone else was an excellent lesson in mercy and service to others. This year s Empty Bowls Luncheon will be held on Thursday, October 20th from 11:30-1:00 at the Elmira College Campus Center. MUSIC DEPARTMENT Junior Area All State Music Festival ATTENTION BAND PARENTS Stay tuned. (pun intended!) Information regarding the annual band trip will be sent home soon! Congratulations to: Erica Macapinlac, Renata Russo, Derek Simpson & Daniel Ruppenthal who were selected for the Junior Area All State Music Festival.
Page 7-October 2017 7 FROM GUIDANCE School Wide Testing Day There will be a school-wide Testing Day for all 9th, 10th, and 11th graders on Wednesday October 11th. Juniors will be taking the PSAT/NMSQT, sophomores will be taking the Pre-ACT, and freshmen will be taking the PSAT 8/9. Students will take the test in their homerooms in the morning, and the afternoon will resume regular Day 7 classes. Testing day is meant as a way to provide students practice for their college entrance exams, the SAT and ACT. Once the results from the tests are in, Miss Tighe and Mrs. Barron will go into classes and provide feedback to students. Students should come prepared with #2 pencils and a calculator for testing. Students can prepare for these tests by getting a good night s sleep and having a healthy breakfast. College Fairs There will be two college fairs in the area that may be of interest to Juniors and Seniors. The Arnot Mall will be hosting a college fair on October 19th, 2017. Parents are encouraged to attend with their students from 5:00-7:00 pm. Corning Community College is also hosting a transfer fair on October 20th from 11:30-2:00 where many colleges will be in attendance. October 20th is a conference day for Notre Dame so classes will not be in session. College Representatives Visits College representatives will be visiting the Guidance Office throughout October. We strongly encourage students to take advantage of these personal opportunities to meet with College Reps. They are a valuable source of information. Students should register to meet with college representatives through Naviance and pick up a pass from Mrs. Shannon prior to the visit. Senior Interviews Seniors are currently meeting with their counselors to review their graduation requirements and discuss college applications. If you have not yet done your senior interview, please make an appointment with your counselor to do so. Mrs. Barron (A-L), Miss Tighe (M-Z) College Applications Seniors should be aware of their college application deadlines. These deadlines approach very quickly and it is the responsibility of the students to request letters of recommendation and transcripts at least two weeks before the deadlines. Any of Mrs. Barron s students who have early November deadlines must have their requests in and applications completed by October 20th so that they can be submitted before October 25th. Mrs. Barron will not be available to submit application between October 26th and November 6th. Please plan accordingly. The Notre Dame Guidance Department operates on an Open Door Policy, stop by anytime with any questions or concerns. th SAVE THE DATE!! 9 Annual ~An Evening at the Casino Royale~ Saturday November 4th 6:00-11:00 Elmira Country Club For the last eight years parents, alumni, and Notre Dame Supporters have enjoyed an evening filled with great food, lively entertainment, and good friends. We are looking forward to an even bigger and better event this year! Included in the evening is food, beer and wine, and great fun. Bobby K Entertainment will provide the ultimate Vegas-style fantasy gaming tables and the live and silent auctions and wine pull are not to be missed! Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased by sending a check into The Main Office. Please note Casino Royale Tickets in the memo line.
Page Page 4 June 2016 88-October 2017 The The Crusader Crusader Connection Connection Notre Dame High School 1400 Maple Avenue www.notredamehighschool.com Elmira, NY 5th Annual Turkey Day 5K! Join us on Thanksgiving morning for our annual Turkey Day 5K! 9 AM START 1400 Maple Avenue, Elmira NY To register online click here. Registration includes t-shirt for first 800 registrants Register by 10/31 to guarantee your shirt size! Packet P/U & On-Site registration ND Gymnasium Wednesday, November 22 nd 5:00-7:00 pm & Thursday, November 23 rd starting at 7:00 am For more information about the Turkey Day 5K please contact Race Directors Karen Charnetski & Steve Eller at TurkeyDay5K@notredamehighschool.com
Page 9-October 2016 9 SUPPORT PROJECT GRADUATION 2018 -
Page 10 June 2017 10 New Date TBA Keep up with the happenings at ND!