Chez
News
Notre Dame School
of Manhattan
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Letter from the President
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Dear Notre Dame,
Happy Easter! In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic we celebrate Easter. Jesus has overcome sickness and death and promises each one of us new life.
This morning’s gospel recounts the story of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary quickly leaving the empty tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and running to announce the news to his disciples. Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Matthew 28:12
The women who stood by the cross of Jesus are the first to come to know the risen Jesus. Their mission was to share the good news of the resurrection to the other disciples who were not yet aware that Jesus had risen. They were still grieving over his death.
We are invited to enter into this scene and discover where we fit in. Fearful? Overjoyed? Running? Waiting for someone to bring the good news of the resurrection to us? No matter where we are, Jesus’s words are something to hold on to. “Do not be afraid.”
May this Easter season bring us hope and joy.
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Dr. Virginia O’Brien, SU
President
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The Notre Dame Chapel is missed by the entire ND community!
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Taken from Psalm 143, "
Show us the way, Lord,"
is a cry to God from David during a time of crisis and affliction. David’s plea really sums up what the world is feeling during these difficult times. The
Chez Nous
community is no different, and the students as well as teachers are searching for answers. The school has responded to this plea by initiating new ways of communicating, and offering helpful tools and tips to guide our ND families as they navigate their ways through this crisis.
Faith
Faith has always been the foundation of Notre Dame, with the educational tradition of Anne de Xainctonge lighting the way. The difficult days have challenged that faith for many at
Chez Nous
, however. At a recent Zoom faculty meeting, teachers reported that their students were feeling frightened and questioning their own spirituality. To respond to their fears, the teachers are trying to incorporate time for discussion on faith in their various classes to help them find God in their daily lives. Religion teachers in particular have focused their efforts on deepening the faith and hope of the ND students. Just recently, the faculty retreat team and the senior retreat leaders created a special online retreat for the juniors. (See article in
Class Clips
below).
Of course, the same feelings of uncertainty are there for the adults as well, and the school has created many opportunities to address them. Sr. Mary Dolan, SU, has been a constant faith leader for many years at the school and her spiritual programs are inspiring. Sr. Mary’s mission at Notre Dame has always been to foster the spirituality of both Anne de Xainctonge and St. Ignatius Loyola among the students, faculty, and staff, and she has been an especially strong beacon for such inspiration in recent weeks. Lunch, Lent and Loyola has been one of her signature programs, in which faculty and staff met regularly over lunch during Lent for spiritual sharing. These meetings have continued, albeit virtually, but the uplifting impact is the same. She also has started writing gospel reflections every weekend for the entire ND community, and the responses to these reflections have been positive. Sr. Virginia sends out daily messages during the week which include prayers, reflections and school updates. Many parents and friends of the school have commented on how helpful and hopeful they are. Finally, through social media, Notre Dame has been posting Little Spiritual Exercises, created by Fr. Jim McDermott, SJ, an ongoing virtual retreat with simple daily ways of reflections. All of these efforts are ways to ensure each of us that God is with us always!
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Service
In addition to addressing these matters of faith, the school has offered many other practical approaches to serve and support
Chez Nous
, to help all in the community find their way during these difficult days. The counseling department continues to send out tips for students and parents, with tools for health and wellness. Ms. Elizabeth Davenport’s weekly art challenge and Ms. Lydie Kane’s Poetry Month suggestions help enrich the aesthetics of the students’ daily schedules. And Ms. Jaclyn Brilliant’s weekly messages to students and families share valuable links and suggestions on how to stay the course.
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Student Council
Vice President Ashley Ringor '20
addressing the ND community through the Student Council's weekly video.
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It is not only the adults who are serving and helping each other. The students continue to support each other and the community in wonderful ways. The Student Council continues to send out weekly videos of school news and positive messages to the entire student body. The News Club recently rallied their classmates to participate and produce a video of gratitude, applauding healthcare and essential workers for all of their heroic work. And just today, one of our own, Jillian Lewis ’20, is participating in a virtual panel for youths on coping with the current health crisis. This panel is sponsored by Global Kids, a partnered program with ND, and an organization that works with youths in the city, empowering them to become future leaders. Jillian has been a longtime member, and the school is so impressed with her participation. Way to go, Jillian!
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Jillian Lewis '20 is part of a panel helping youths cope with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Leadership
At its very core, Notre Dame is blessed to have a strong leadership team. Dr. Virginia O’Brien, SU, is the school’s president, with Ms. Jackie Brilliant as principal, and Ms. Karina Vargas '02 as vice principal. These strong administrators have spearheaded the efforts for effective online learning and expanded communication to all school families. In addition to Sr. Virginia being a Sister of St. Ursula and an alumna of ND, she is also a licensed psychologist who held her own private practice for many years. Her spiritual as well as professional experiences have served her well at the helm, especially during these current challenges. It was she who decided to expand communications to include a weekly newsletter on Mondays, with subsequent daily prayers and reflections published for the rest of the week. Her goal is to ensure that all ND constituents are kept current on the ongoing strength of the school, while inspiring families with positive messaging. It is through this strong leadership that
Chez Nous
has maintained a consistent path of educating and supporting its 355 students during this difficult time.
There is no denying that we are all struggling with questions of health, safety, and faith these days; and many of us may have feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. The mission of Notre Dame has always been to have an awareness of God in all things, and an engagement in the world. During this crisis, the school has created a multitude of outreach initiatives to help its students, faculty, and all its families in navigating this dark path. Truly, with the resurrection of Jesus on Easter, the Lord has already shown us the way. Through the support of the ND community and the wonderful opportunities to find peace and strength, Notre Dame manifests this same message of hope and joy to the entire
Chez Nous
family, near and far.
Happy Easter! The Lord is Risen!
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Ms. Brittany Vella and her students collaborating on a problem remotely.
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It is so impressive to see how quickly Notre Dame has acclimated to attending school each day online, and the teachers have all agreed that their students have embraced this new way of learning and are flourishing as a result. Each week we will continue to highlight some examples of the classes that have taken place that showcase the innovative approaches to the school day.
Ms. Brittany Vella - Academic Center for Algebra II
ND students have embraced virtual learning and continue to work hard in all of their classes. In some disciplines, it can be challenging to work collaboratively, but not so at Notre Dame. Through various tools offered through
Zoom Video Communications, Inc.
, teachers can create group rooms, extra help sessions and continue to provide Academic Center hours to support various student needs. Ms.
Brittany Vella
, math department chair, explained how she collaborates with her students. Ms. Vella hosted her Academic Center hours for her Algebra II class where she had them work on applied problems using exponential growth and decay. The students had to answer a series of questions regarding the amount of money in a bank account when the rate was being compounded continuously. They used their algebraic knowledge to solve equations with
Exponential and Natural Logarithm functions.
She was able to guide their work and assist those who were having a difficult time. Nothing stops the extra help given to ND students, and this is just one more example of the attention and focus that teachers give their students, above and beyond their classroom duties. Way to go ND and Ms. Vella!
Mr. Kevin McDonald and Dr. Tim Dooley - Religion Class
Religion classes have become a major source of comfort and understanding during these recent weeks of uncertainty, and the Theology department is focusing its efforts on deepening the faith and hope of its students. Recently, theology teachers Mr.
Kevin McDonald
and Dr. Tim Dooley collaborated with their classes. Mr. McDonald is ND’s retreat coordinator, helping to create spiritual experiences for all four grade levels at off-campus locations.
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Notre Dame Senior Retreat Leaders at Linwood in Rhinebeck, NY.
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Unfortunately, Mr. McDonald was unable to plan these on campus, and so he created a special virtual retreat. During junior religion classes, he and Dr. Dooley welcomed the senior retreat leaders, including Theresa Sciancalepore ’20, who read from Mark 4:35-41. It is the chapter in which the disciples were in a boat during a storm, crying out to Jesus to help them. He told them not to be afraid and to have faith. (This is the same reading that Pope Francis read and spoke about during his
Urbi et Orbi
blessing in March). With this scripture as a relevant foundation, the students broke into groups on Zoom with a senior leader in each one leading a discussion based on these questions:
- Are there times during this crisis that you’ve felt like “God is asleep” or “does not care?”
- During the storm, God calls for peace, have you been able to find any new peace during this storm?
- How can we each be more like Jesus and have a faith that helps us sleep soundly in the face of anxiety?
The questions and discussions truly helped calm the fears of the students and was an uplifting and constructive way of deepening their faith.
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The Notre Dame community would like to keep in mind and pray for all of us, our extended families, relatives and friends. We have thought of a way to do that and invite you to make a prayer request by
CLICKING HERE
.
You will be asked for your name, the name of the persons you want to pray for, and to state in a few words what you want to say about the people whose names you write. We will keep this list going and pray for all those you recommend to us.
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Contact Information
Elizabeth Bixenman
Director of Development &
Alumnae Relations
(212) 620-5575, Ext. 317
bixenmane@cheznous.org
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ANCHORING LIVES
for
GENERATIONS
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