Chez News: November 2020
Letter from the President
November 23, 2020

Dear Notre Dame,

This month's Newsletter gives me a wonderful opportunity to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. I know our Thanksgiving celebrations may be different this year, but at the same time we have much to be thankful for. I'm particularly grateful that we have not had any instance of any student or faculty member contracting COVID-19 while in the school building. I pray that all of our students and extended community members are healthy, especially as the holidays approach.

In this season of gratitude, I also want to thank you for your ongoing financial support of our beloved school. Next Tuesday, December 1, is Giving Tuesday, a global day of generosity. In the next few days you will be receiving video messages from several of our outstanding students reminding you of this day and asking for your help. I hope that you will respond in any way you can. (CLICK HERE for link to donate.)

As Thanksgiving marks the end of the growing season in the Northeast, I found the poem "Thanksgiving" which Ms. Brilliant shared in the News of the Week to resonate. Enjoy the poem and this month's edition of Chez News.  

Thanksgiving
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
 
We walk on starry fields of white
  And do not see the daisies;
For blessings common in our sight
  We rarely offer praises.
We sigh for some supreme delight
  To crown our lives with splendor,
And quite ignore our daily store
  Of pleasures sweet and tender.

Our cares are bold and push their way
  Upon our thought and feeling.
They hand about us all the day,
  Our time from pleasure stealing.
So unobtrusive many a joy
  We pass by and forget it,
But worry strives to own our lives,
  And conquers if we let it.

There's not a day in all the year
  But holds some hidden pleasure,
And looking back, joys oft appear
  To brim the past's wide measure.
But blessings are like friends, I hold,
  Who love and labor near us.
We ought to raise our notes of praise
  While living hearts can hear us.

Full many a blessing wears the guise
  Of worry or of trouble;
Far-seeing is the soul, and wise,
  Who knows the mask is double.
But he who has the faith and strength
  To thank his God for sorrow
Has found a joy without alloy
  To gladden every morrow.

We ought to make the moments notes
  Of happy, glad Thanksgiving;
The hours and days a silent phrase
  Of music we are living.
And so the theme should swell and grow
  As weeks and months pass o'er us,
And rise sublime at this good time,
  A grand Thanksgiving chorus.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Dr. Virginia O'Brien, S.U.
President
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Speaks to ND Community
Nobel Peace Prize Winner Leymah Gbowee gave a fascinating lecture to the Notre Dame community last week. Her experiences and advice of service to others resonated with students and faculty alike. Sr. Virginia O'Brien, SU, President of Notre Dame, reflects on Ms. Gbowee's inspiring words. CLICK HERE to read more.
Leymah Gbowee, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011
Cross-Curricular Creativity
ND teachers are known for their passion and dedication to their subjects and to their students. Through innovative approaches, they combine other disciplines into their teaching strategies, giving the students a wider perspective and a deeper understanding. CLICK HERE to read about some of these classes.
A creative interpretation of Beowulf by Lily Roemischer '23
A mathematical interpretation of Yoda
by Courtney Rei '22
Fanelysse De La Rosa '22 creates 'stained glass' through algebraic graphing
Using math, art, and science skills, Daria Ippolito '21 is creating an architectural model of Barbie's Dream House in 3D Design class

Clara Cashman '24 and Victoire Damodar-Desloire '24 inspire social awareness
through their "Text with a Message" projects in art class
Cecelia Horrigan '21 creating her own 'New Yorker' magazine cover art
The Notre Dame Doors Were Open for
Admissions Open House!
Through careful planning and with strict COVID-19 precautions in place, 8th graders were able to visit Notre Dame in person to learn about the school and have student-led tours. CLICK HERE to read about the successful 'new version' of this annual event.
Ms. Anne Crosson coordinating the student tours
for our visitors
Mr. Bob Grote, Director of Admissions, giving an overview of the Notre Dame visit
Sr. Virginia O'Brien, President of Notre Dame, welcomes 8th graders Chez Nous
Season Success!
ND soccer team camaraderie
Coach JP outlining game strategies
Both the soccer teams and cross-country teams finished their fall seasons successfully. Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Notre Dame Dragons strengthened their outstanding skills, built positive team camaraderie, and set incredible new records. CLICK HERE to read more.
Members of the ND cross-country and track teams
Notre Dame Dragons take the lead
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