October 2, 2020 Dear Notre Dame Families,
Given the Covid pandemic, we are postponing our "International Sisters in STEM Symposium" to July 2022. This decision reflects the strong consensus of global educators that 2021 will be a very difficult year to host international exchanges in a safe manner for school communities. When held in 2022, the Symposium will include classroom collaborations, the presence of international subject matter experts, guest professors from Philadelphia's leading universities, a keynote speaker and STEM-focused field trips.
ND junior, Emma Oyakhire, is currently an intern with TurnUp, a new app that aims to get young people engaged and informed about politics and social justice. Here, Emma was a part of the beta-testing of the app and now compiles research on local activists, events, and other important resources to be shared with users looking to get involved in their community.
The Department of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion along with the Department of Alumnae Relations are excited to introduce the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur's Alumnae Mentorship Initiative. Mentors will provide support to ND students and serve as a resource as they continue their journey at the Academy. The program will begin in early 2021 and over 150 mentors are expected to participate. Stay tuned for more information!
CAMPUS MINISTRY UPDATE
Campus Ministry is off to a wonderful start! We are led by nine senior Student Ministers for Upper School and four 8th grade Student Ministers for Middle School, each heading a committee of students who will work on different events and programs at ND. Upper School Campus Ministry is meeting virtually every Monday afternoon and Middle School meetings will begin the week of October 13th.
PARENTS: Join us for Meeting Christ in Prayer: a virtual 8-week, guided prayer experience modeled after the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Through Meeting Christ in Prayer, participants will meet Christ in a new, prayerful way while developing a profound sense of purpose in their own lives. The first meeting will take place from 9:30-10:30AM on Friday, October 16th and will continue each Friday until December 11th. The cost of the book and shipping will be $12.00. Books will be shipped to Notre Dame and we will arrange pick up. Please sign up by Thursday, October 8.
For questions, please contact Paula Gaughan, Parent Liaison 610-977-0799 or pgaughan@ndapa.org
DAILY CHECK UPDATE
We recently piloted a new method of administering the daily check with our 8th and 12th grade students. I am grateful for these students' participation as Notre Dame tries to find the most efficient way to keep its community safe. Based on feedback and the pilot results, we will not be changing processes; all students will resume completing the Google Form Daily check on Monday October 4.
HALLOWEEN T-SHIRTS FOR SALE BY STUDENT COUNCIL Happy Fall, Notre Dame! To celebrate the season, Student Council is selling t-shirts for all students, faculty, and staff to purchase and wear to school on Friday, October 30. The cost for a shirt is $15. To participate, submit your shirt size and payment information by Monday, October 5 at 3:30 PM.
Thank you for your ongoing support of Student Council!
UPDATE FROM THE CENTER FOR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
Due to travel cancellations this year, the Center for Global Leadership is reimaging our global offerings to include virtual exchanges and collaborations. These offerings began over the summer and we continue to provide opportunities that broaden our students' experiences in order to understand and empathize with the perspective and worldviews of others through:
For questions, please contact nmoffat@ndapa.org.
IMPORTANT BUSING INFORMATION
There will be a 12pm dismissal on Friday, October 9 and Wednesday, October 14. Bus transportation will be provided by the following school districts and private transportation services: For students from school districts NOT listed above, please make alternate transportation arrangements for these early dismissal days.
RETURN TO SCHOOL DURING COVID-19 UPDATE
While we have had some students quarantine as a result of being a close contact of someone off campus, we are happy to say that to date, we have not had any confirmed positive Covid-19 cases on campus. Please be assured that if an infected student has been on campus and in close contact with other people, NDA will inform all impacted parties in conjunction with the CCHD.
As a reminder, students must stay home and parents must contact the school nurse if the student has:
Daily Check before 7:30 AM every school day.
Thank you for helping the NDA community stay safe.
SENIOR FINANCIAL PLANNING NIGHT // Weds. October 7 at 7PM Alison Hildenbrand, Director of Admissions at Fairfield University, will be presenting on the financial aid application process (FAFSA, CSS Profile and more). Senior-specific but parents of all grades are welcome.
9TH GRADE RETREAT (Virtual) // Thurs. October 8
NOON DISMISSAL // Fri. October 9
JOINT MIDDLE/UPPER SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL + CAMPUS MINISTRY INDUCTION CEREMONY October 21 at 5:30PM // Amy Willard Gym (Only those being inducted plus one guest may attend to maintain proper distance.)
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