Chez News
Notre Dame School
of Manhattan
May 11, 2020
Letter from the President
May 11, 2020

Dear Notre Dame,

The yearbooks have arrived! This year, the process is quite different, as we have come to expect. Thanks to yearbook moderator, Mr. Glenn Stordeur, yearbooks were delivered to the home of each senior. 

Notre Dame students and alumnae are familiar with the festivities that surround receiving a yearbook. Traditionally, seniors gather together and sign each others’ yearbooks, sharing memories of their years together and best wishes for all that lies ahead. Alumnae treasure their yearbooks and save them. A member of the Class of ‘60 just donated some of her yearbooks and literary magazines back to Notre Dame for our archives.

We hope the day will soon come when the Class of 2020 can gather, with social distancing, to share memories and sign yearbooks. For me, the arrival of the yearbook made me realize how much I miss the Class of 2020. We hope to highlight some of their accomplishments in  Chez  News in the weeks ahead so be especially on the look out for next Monday’s edition. In the meantime, please follow the recommendation below.
Gratefully,
Dr. Virginia O'Brien, SU
President 
Notre Dame School
Auction Action!
Summer Gift Set (Fair market value - $429)
JOIN US FOR OUR VIRTUAL BENEFIT
Saturday, June 6, 2020 from Noon until 1:00 p.m.
Online bidding begins Monday, June 1, 2020

Our 63rd Annual Chez Nous Benefit
is only 4 weeks away!

Online bidding begins on Monday, June 1, and our live streamed event will be held on Saturday, June 6, from 12:00-1:00 pm. All are invited to participate in support of Notre Dame School so we encourage you to register before Monday, June 1, if you haven't already. At our Chez Nous Benefit, you will hear from our students, honorees, Principal and President, along with a few others so be sure to tune in to our event!

In anticipation of this exciting tradition, each week we will highlight some of the amazing items that have been generously donated by ND families and friends. Take a close look at the two highlighted items this week, and start planning your bidding strategies now!

Summer Gift Set (pictured above)
Can’t wait for the warmer days to be upon us? Start your summer vacation now with this special gift set. Vineyard Vines, known for bright beach colors and casual looks, sets the stage for a beach day with a bright beach tote and two summer baseball hats and festive colorful scrunchies to protect you from the sun in style! Then, for a special summer night, pamper yourself with Caudalie, the French skincare company, known for its luxurious v inothérapie. Complete the evening look with a stunning silver bracelet from Brighton. Finally, remember all of these happy memories in a special journal filled with daily reflections. Oh! What a vacation!

The Winter Workout Package (pictured below)
Was your ski season cut too short this year? Then plan ahead for next with this Winter Workout Package (pictured below). Layer up with this cozy Patagonia quarter snap jacket. Patagonia knows how to design warm ski wear and you will be ready for the slopes with this pullover. And before you get on that ski lift, protect your face with a balaclava made by Bula, whose convertible face coverings are made so that they can be worn as a neck warmer, half mask, or full covering. Finish it off with ski goggles by Spy, a company known for its uncompromising fit, design, and clarity. Keep your items safe and dry in this roomy and sleek backpack by Under Armour . Finally, you can track all of your winter exercising with a Fitbit Blaze. The advanced technology of this state-of-the art fitness watch will gauge your workouts and monitor your performance stats. Let the winter games begin!
The Winter Workout Package (fair market value - $520)
Not registered for the auction? No worries. You can do so now! The link below will take you to the  Chez Nous  Benefit website homepage. Click the "Register Here" button and fill out your information accordingly. Then, let the fun begin!

Class Clips
A Founding poem created by Sofia Awikeh '23
It is so impressive to see how quickly Notre Dame students acclimated to attending school each day online, and the teachers all agree that their students have embraced this new way of learning and are flourishing as a result. Each week we will continue to highlight some of the innovative approaches taken by our faculty and staff, both in the classroom and through extracurricular activities.

Ms. Lydie Kane - English
English teacher and alumna Ms. Lydie Kane is known for her creative classroom projects and innovative approaches to teaching, always thinking ‘outside the box’. Whether it be her 9th grade completed Dinner Plate projects or her seniors' annual Christmas Tree creation made out of books, her ideas are always eagerly welcomed by her students. And this one is no different. Ms. Kane is focusing the last part of the semester on eclectic approaches to poetry. Ms. Kane is passionate about poetry, believing that it provides so many opportunities for creativity. Additionally, she feels that poetry easily lends itself to lifting the spirit, which she sees as critical for her students during these challenging days.

In recent weeks, she had her class read  The Poet X  by Elizabeth Acevedo. This is a novel written in verse about a young woman who realizes that she has a gift for poetry, and finds solace and escapes through her writing. Inspired by this young poet, Ms. Kane had the girls write their own autobiographical poems, making sure to include specific elements of poetry such as metaphor, rhythm, imagery, and theme.

Expanding the scope to other types of poetry, she then introduced her students to Found poetry. Found poetry is a type of poetry created by taking words and phrases from other sources and reframing them (a literary equivalent of a collage), by making changes in spacing and lines, or by adding or deleting text, thus imparting new meaning. To bring this style close to home, she had the girls write their own Found poems based on the language of the virus, using articles about the current pandemic or particular words or phrases in commercials.

Ms. Kane consistently tries to make her classes relevant to her students, and recently sent them on a virtual field trip. They had to register for and watch the Academy of American Poet's "Shelter In Poems" reading, during which celebrated poets, musicians and actors selected inspiring poems to read. The girls found this experience personally enriching and pertinent to their current situation.

At the end of the day, Ms. Kane’s goal is to make sure her students understand that poetry can help them find their own voices to inspire and move others to deeper realms of reflection. Accordingly to her students, she has done just that! Way to go Ms. Kane!

Mr. Rob Grote - Biology
Science teacher Ms. Yasmin Hassan is on maternity leave (staying home with her beautiful baby boy, Asher!) But fear not, her classes are in good hands with a substitute with strong Notre Dame connections. Mr. Rob Grote has been filling in this semester and is thrilled to be working at Notre Dame. If his name sounds familiar, it is because he shares it with his father, Mr. Bob Grote, ND’s Admissions Director, and his mother, Ms. Penny Grote, Grant Specialist and Assistant to ND’s President, Dr. Virginia O’Brien, SU. This familiarity, along with his own experience teaching science at Immaculate Conception School (a Partnership School in the Bronx,) made his entry to ND seamless.

Mr. Grote is an enthusiastic teacher who motivates his students to create their own ways to learn and process information. In recent weeks, the curriculum has included the study of body systems. Not always an easy topic of conversation, Mr. Grote made it interesting and challenged the girls to do so as well. The students were required to complete a capstone project, culminating from learning each body system in sequence, and he wanted them to be creative in their approach. He grouped students together, and each group had to choose a body system on which to report, and present their information in innovative ways.
Instead of traditional posters, he encouraged them to explore collaborative digital tools for content creation. For extra credit, students might even make something they could potentially post to a real social media account, which might be of interest and added instructional value.
A creative portrayal of the excretory system by 9th graders Lily Roemischer, Lucia Snajdr, and Nella Craft
Each group did a stellar job in their visual portrayals of systems. One group, composed of Lily Roemischer, Nella Craft, and Lucia Snajdr, created an outstanding illustration on the excretory system with the theme of  Diary of a Wimpy Kid , a well-known book series written by author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. These students drew a remarkable replication of his work applying it to their project.

Their project, as well as the other equally creative presentations, made the assignment far more engaging for all of the students and they enjoyed the process (Mr. Grote thinks this group should consider becoming textbook illustrators!) Nice job, ND scientists!
20 Things 2020 Misses About ND!
A happy class memory - The Senior Class trip to Cape Cod last fall!
Editor's note: Seniors Tilly Sipp, Jade Dinkins, Desiree Dinkins, Francesca Little,
Gracie Hastings, and Tessie Sciancalepore asked to write this article to honor the Class of 2020. They took it upon themselves to reach out to their classmates with a survey, and wrote this wonderful memory. I thank them for their initiative and for their touching tribute!

COVID-19 has prematurely put the closing curtain on the graduating Senior Class of 2020’s last year in the ND building. The overwhelming feeling that we have lost our last few months of precious time together, has been, suffice it to say, devastating.

Yet, we have not let this stand in our way. The Class of 2020 is a resilient one. Not only are we bright young women of academia, but we are fighters. We have refused to let COVID-9 strip us of the time we should be spending reminiscing over our four years Chez Nous . We have participated in everything from Mr. McDonald’s mini-senior retreats, to sharing our friend’s college acceptances on social media.

In an attempt to continue our efforts of reminiscing over our four years, the Senior Class shared with one another some things they miss the most, Chez Nous . So without further ado, here are 20 things 2020 misses about ND:

  1. Ms. Lewis’s greetings in the morning and her goodbyes when we leave 
  2. Joe and Andy’s dumplings and Jamaican beef patties 
  3. The calf definition we get from trudging our way up the stairs 
  4. Cramming into the counselors’ lounge to talk about our stress and funny stories of the day
  5. Mr. Womer’s chicken bathroom passes 
  6. Sliding into Ms. Davenport’s room at random times to share fun art things
  7. Ms. Donose calling out the freshmen for blocking the third-floor hallway
  8. Running past Ms. Crosson’s room with a non-uniform sweatshirt 
  9. Cheering for our friends at the sports games and making them school spirit posters 
  10. Seeing our friends perform in the school plays, and Ms. Harrington being Drama/Glee's #1 fan
  11. Half laughing at Mr. McDonald’s 'dad jokes' 
  12. Seeing Ms. Vargas carrying around her New Year's resolution water jug 
  13. Trying to sneak coffee into our lockers (and then serving the detention once we get caught)
  14. Trying to sneak onto the elevator (and then serving the detention once we get caught)
  15. Girl talk time with Ms. Angioletti 
  16. Almost stepping on Ms. Vulcano’s dog Piper in gym class because she’s the size of our palms 
  17. The harsh breathing sounds of a classroom with 20 girls who just ran up from the Commons to the 4th floor for English class
  18. Dance parties in classrooms during free periods 
  19. Self-timer pictures with our friends during lunch in the Commons
  20. And above all, we miss seeing each other every day. We miss the random hallway hugs, spontaneous high fives, loving each other through the hard days, and celebrating the good ones.  

Four years together means a lot of laughs, tears, iced coffees, class presentations, homework, tests, quizzes, heavy textbooks, so many lost pens, plays, sports games, Halloween festivals, Christmas festivals, and self-discovery. We have been there supporting each other through it all. Though we may not be able to hug or walk the ND halls together, nothing can ever strip us of the bond we have formed together, absolutely nothin’. 
Prayer Requests
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.
Contact Information
Elizabeth Bixenman
Director of Development &
Alumnae Relations
(212) 620-5575, Ext. 317
bixenmane@cheznous.org

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