September 28, 2020
Dear Notre Dame,
This is our first Chez News for the 2020-2021 school year! We are pleased to say that we are in our 18th day of a hybrid learning model here at Notre Dame. I am so grateful to the faculty, students and entire Notre Dame community for being faithful to upholding all the various ways we have asked them to be socially distant. Because of our strong community spirit and willingness to cooperate to ensure the safety of all, as well as our extensive preparation over the summer to make our building as safe as possible, we are managing to remain healthy. The articles in this newsletter provide you with some details about the summer work that was accomplished at the school, updates since we opened and news about some of the days ahead.
The school has made significant financial investments in providing the faculty with new technology that is needed to teach effectively on Zoom (MacBook Pros, iPads, AirPods and Apple Pencils). The teachers are experienced in using Zoom given their work during the spring semester and the various workshops they have taken over the summer. We have a new technology coach for the faculty who is available five days a week. We have also invested in protective Lexan panels and social distance signage throughout the building. We have purchased cleaning supplies to deep clean the building and hired more cleaners. Most importantly we have added a nurse’s office, an isolation room and a nurse to the staff at Notre Dame. Jean Canavan, RN, NCSN has joined our staff to monitor the health of our staff and students. Welcome, Ms. Canavan.
This month, we plan to have Open House on Sunday, October 25th. As of this writing, our in-person Open House sessions are completely “sold out.” In an attempt to meet the demand for visiting the school, we are creating a virtual Open House that we will send to additional interested families. (CLICK HERE for information.)
Over the summer, we were able to create a 360-degree virtual tour of Notre Dame. We know that pictures are worth a thousand words, so please click on the link below and enjoy a tour of Notre Dame. The tour is packed with different treats--if you hit the red buttons, you will hear different students speak about the school, and if you hit green buttons, you'll hear faculty members speak about our school and curriculum. Click and drag your cursor to change your viewing perspective, and click the white circles on the floor to navigate through the school, and up to different floors. This is something you can come back to at your leisure and access the features of the school that are most important to you.
I hope you find the articles in this edition of Chez News informative and engaging. And enjoy our virtual tour by CLICKING HERE.
