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Get connected!
The
Crusader
Connection
January 2015
Elmira, New York
Volume 10 Issue 5
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT —
The Lord bless you and keep you
This is God’s prayer of blessing for the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land and it is
also my prayer for all of you as you journey into a New Year.
Happy New Year!
As the New Year develops, we too will meet with challenges and obstacles as the Israelites did on
their travels. But no matter what the challenges are that come our way, one thing is constant –
God’s blessing and love are strong. No matter what the circumstances are, we can seek God’s
wisdom and guidance. Therefore, let us keep close to God, have confidence in His goodness and
be aware of His many blessings throughout the New Year wherever our travels take us.
My many prayers for a Blessed and Peace filled New Year.
—Sister Mary Walter Hickey, RSM—President
Exam Schedule
2
Guidance Dept.
3
Student Highlights
4
Faculty Forum
5
Advancement News
6
Campus Ministry
6
Junior High
6
FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK —
I wish you a Blessed and Peace-filled 2015! The New Year brings the realization that the
academic year is just about half over and mid-term exams are just around the corner. Your ND
student need only be here when they have an exam and the exam schedule can be found on our
website at www.notredamehighschool.com. The buses will run on their regular schedule, so
anyone who has just a morning exam will need to make their own arrangements if they want to
leave before 3:00. Should we have a two hour delay during the exam period, we will modify the
schedule, but exams will be given that day. Should we have a snow day (heaven forbid), that day’s
exams will be re-scheduled for another day that will be announced. Please note that in the event
that either of these happen, the Regents exams will not be rescheduled. It is our hope that all things
will run smoothly for exams! Thank you for all you do for Notre Dame High School!
—Sister Nancy Kelly, RSM—Principal
January at a Glance
Jan 7
7th and 8th Grade Soup Kitchen - After School
Jan 8
Corvette Drawing - 2 PM
Jan 9
Junior Class Chocolate and Jewelry Fundraiser
Begins
Jan 19
Martin Luther King Day—No School
Jan 22
Midterm Exams (1/22-1/29)
Jan 29
2nd Quarter Ends
Jan 30
Conference Day
Jan 31
Snowball Dance 8-11 PM
WINTER SCHOOL CLOSING INFO
ND follows the Elmira City District for weather related
closings and delays. Check these announcements on our
local television and radio stations, including stations in
Pennsylvania or call the Elmira City School District weather
line at 735-3970
Page 2—January 2015
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The Crusader Connection
January 2015 Exam Schedule
DATE
Thursday, January 22
Friday, January 23
Monday, January 26
Tuesday, January 27
Wednesday, January 28
Thursday, January 29
MORNING (8:30-11:30)
AFTERNOON (12:00-3:00 )

English, 9-12
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English, 7 & 8
Global Studies, 9 & 10
US History and Government
American Studies Honors
American Federal Government

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Social Studies, 7 & 8
Advanced Biology/AP
AP Chemistry
AP Art History
RE Biology/Living Science

RE Comprehensive English






Theology, 7 & 8
Death & Dying
Morality
Understanding the Bible
World Religions
RE Global History & Geography


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
Spanish, 7 & 8
Spanish I, II, III
Mandarin Chinese
RE Algebra







Science, 7 & 8
Earth Science
Environmental Science R & H
Biology
Physics R-H-AP
RE US History & Govt.
RE Geometry





Chemistry
Principles in Chemistry
Psychology
RE Chemistry
RE Earth Science








Math, 7 & 8
Pre-Algebra
Algebra
Algebra I A
Integrated Algebra
Algebra II/Trig A
Algebra II/Trig B
Algebra II/Trig







Geometry
Geometry A
Pre Calculus R & H
Calculus
AP Calculus
Statistics
RE Algebra 2/Trig
IMPORTANT EXAM DAY INFORMATION
1. Homeroom: There will be no homeroom on test days. Students will report directly to the room where they will take their exam.
2. Uniforms: Uniforms are required throughout the exam period.
Lunches: Students can purchase or bring lunch each day during exams, the same as they do during regular schools days. Menus
are posted on a day-to-day basis in the cafeteria. Students are not allowed to leave campus for lunch if they are scheduled for an
afternoon exam. Please note: There will be no lunch sold the following days: January 22, 23 and 29.
Attendance: Students do not have to come to school if they are not scheduled for an exam. If they are not scheduled for an
afternoon exam, they may leave early or come in late if they do not have a morning exam. Please make transportation
arrangements accordingly. Check with your local bus service to see whether transportation will be provided each day. Those
absent from exams due to illness are required to make them up as soon as possible. Students may remain in the building before
or after an exam but must remain in the cafeteria and should quietly study for their next exam.
*All tuition and fees must be current for students to be admitted to exams. Please contact the Business office regarding arrangements.
A Note from Mrs. Karen Jennings, Junior High Coordinator: In 7th and 8th grade, we feel that learning how to prepare for and take exams is a
part of our curriculum, just like learning how to write essays and to solve word problems. Our teachers will be helping students to organize their binders
and giving students active review projects that teach study techniques. We hope that you will support your students by encouraging test preparation over
the weeks before midterms, rather than cramming, and by ensuring that our students get enough uninterrupted sleep daily, without the intrusion of their
multiple electronic devices. Our students will also need new pens, sharpened pencils, and the appropriate level calculator for their midterms.
Page 3—January 2015
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The Crusader Connection
FROM THE GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT—
Testing Results Updates
Freshman: Guidance is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the ACT Aspire results. Ms. McKinery will go into the classroom with students
this month to discuss the results once they arrive.
Sophomores: Sophomores who took the PSAT in October have received their scores and should have brought them home for parents. A
link to a PowerPoint presentation was also emailed to parents to help with the interpretation of the results. All Sophomores will be
receiving their ACT Aspire results this month.
Juniors: The Junior class recently received their PSAT results, and were introduced to the online SAT prep, college and career search
resource, My College Quickstart (found at https://quickstart.collegeboard.org). They will be doing more college and career research
together with Ms. McKinery starting this month.
It’s Financial Aid Month!
January is Financial Aid month for college-bound seniors and their parents and we want to make sure you’re on the right track. Filling out
the FAFSA form may seem confusing to some, but if you follow these tips it will ensure a straightforward and easy process:
https://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa/filling-out?sf35124081=1.
The FAFSA form is to be filled out online at www.fafsa.ed.gov and should be done as soon as possible. Colleges ask that the FAFSA and
any other financial aid forms be submitted by their priority deadline. Most will be February 15, but some may have a February 1 deadline.
It is extremely beneficial to submit all materials by the deadline date, as it assures your student the greatest chance of receiving a grant or
scholarship. It is also a good idea to make sure you verify that the colleges your student applied to have all necessary paperwork to make
an admission decision. Some colleges will send letters or emails confirming your student’s file, but some do not. You should never
hesitate to call the colleges if you are not sure if they have received all necessary documents.
Seniors are reminded to bring their acceptance letters and scholarship award letters to the Guidance Office. Any scholarships that a student
receives will be listed in the graduation program, even for colleges that the student will not be attending. The link to the Scholarship List
has been sent to all Seniors and their parents. Some scholarships have paper applications which can be found in the Guidance Office. This
is a great opportunity for students to receive free money—please encourage your students to pursue these scholarships and apply to as
many as possible.
Community Foundation Scholarship Information Night
The Community Foundation of Elmira-Corning and the Finger Lakes, Inc. will be holding a Scholarship Information Night for Seniors
and their parents on January 8 at 7PM at Horseheads High School and January 12 at 7PM at Corning-Painted Post High School. Their
presentations will provide an overview of their scholarship program, as well as a drawing for a $500 scholarship for those in attendance.
Please note that if school is closed on either of these days due to weather conditions, the event will be cancelled.
The Notre Dame Guidance Department operates on a Open Door Policy, stop by anytime with any questions or concerns.
Senior Bryan Stewart
successful created a
community service project,
while working with the
Service Learning team, that
will help assist the education
process for young students in
Mali, Africa. Check out the
article here:
http://www.scoutingnewsroom.org/blog/five-river-councilseagle-scout-project-positive-international-impact/
Nice work Bryan!
Be sure to like the official Notre Dame High School
Facebook page to receive the most recent updates on events
and to find out what our ND students are up to. You can
find us at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Notre-Dame-High-SchoolElmira-NY/121008778058599
PAPA JOHN’S FUNDRAISER
PROJECT GRADUATION
Please support the Project Graduation Fundraiser at Papa John’s Pizza on
Sunday, January 11th from 11AM to 11PM.
Where: Papa John’s, 161 Prescott Ave, Elmira Heights, NY 14903
When: Sunday January 11th, 11am-11pm
Ordering Details:
 You MUST use the Promo Code: P30NDG
 Order online (www.papajohns.com), in person, or by phone
(607-873-7272).
 Regular-Price Menu items only
*Project Graduation will receive a
generous 30% of all regular-priced menu
items when promo code P30NDG is used!
Page 4—January 2015
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The Crusader Connection
MUSIC HAPPENINGS
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Members of the Senior High Chorus dressed in their most festive apparel recently participated in the ND Barnes & Noble Book Fair
fundraiser. The students sang Christmas Carols to help everyone in the store get in the Christmas spirit
Senior Quinn McGhee performed at the Elks Lodge Memorial Service. You can find her in the below photo with two of the Elks Lodge
Members. Thank you Quinn for being an outstanding ambassador for NDHS!
The High School Chorus participated in the Artic League Telethon at the Clemens Center. They looked and incredible and sounded just
as wonderful. We are very proud of their hard work.
KUDOS TO...
SERVICE LEARNING—
Congratulations to the 7th
& 8th Grade Geography
Bee Winners: Issac
Scarselleta, Peter Czank
and Nicholas Viselli,
pictured with Social
Studies Teacher Mr.
Barnes.
Garrett Butters capped off
his unbelievable XC season
by competing in the Nike
Team Regionals in
December. Garrett placed
39th out of over 300
runners from 7 states - NJ,
PA, CT, MA, ME, VT, RI
and NH. Congratulations
Garrett!
On January 3rd, a group of ND grads
and former Service Learning students
gathered at Panera, with their former
Service Learning instructor, Mrs.
Roberts-O’Brian. The gathering was
student-initiated and the hope is that
this will become an annual tradition,
allowing graduates to share how they
are continuing their service efforts
beyond their years at ND. Graduates
who attended were: Sarah Gregg,
Rob Johnson, Rachael Miller, Jenna
Gordon, Jennifer Smithers, Marissa
Brannick and Katheryn Tripeny.
On December 19th, our Service Learning
students and Mr. Bill Maloney’s 4th grade
class from Beecher Elementary spent the
morning celebrating the holiday season, and
each other.
Missing from last months Honor and High Honor Roll
listing were 10th Graders Chase Yoder and Michael
Woglom. Both made the High Honor Roll list.
Keep up the good work!
This celebration included all kinds of snacks, a
gift exchange and the construction of
gingerbread houses. The 19th was hat day at
Beecher Elementary. in support of a 6th grade
student’s mother who is battling cancer. For a
small donation, students were permitted to
wear a hat throughout the school day. The ND
students jumped at the opportunity to support
their Beecher buddies, and many donned
festive hats, themselves.
They are models for all, reminding us that our
humanity and genuine goodness, can and will
overcome any differences we might expect to
divide us.
Mrs. Spencer’s Regents Algebra2/Trig class was given a
unique extra credit assignment just before break. Students
were asked to construct a “Holiday Ornament” that
involved math. Take a look at what they came up with!
(Flowers - Chase Yoder; Tree - Maura Glovins; House/
Santa - Taylor Rorie; Advent Calendar - Mackenzie
Mahajan; Clock - Pat Brown). Nice work to all!
Book Drive
This is a reminder that we are doing a Book Drive to stock the Diven Elementary
School Birthday Bookshelf. Our Service Learning students have set a goal to collect
1,000 books to promote literacy at this high-needs local school. Books are to be new or
gently used. Please consider the varying reading levels of students in this PreK to 2
school building when selecting your donations.
Page 5—December 2014
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The Crusader Connection
FACULTY FORUM—
The Case for Higher Standards in the Curriculum
Joanne Tunison Ed.S., NBCT
Edsger Dijkstra, noted Dutch computer scientist,
once said, “Raise your quality standards as high as you can
live with, avoid wasting your time on routine problems, and
always try to work as closely as possible at the boundary of
your abilities. Do this, because it is the only way of
discovering how that boundary should be moved forward.”
When considering the arguments surrounding the
establishment and maintenance of higher standards for
curriculum, as educators we are charged with a daunting task.
Decisions need to be made regarding federal, state, and local
mandates, as well as identifying parameters which address
the specific school(s) under discussion. If a district advocates
a Standards-based Education (S-BE) with the idea that all
students are capable of achieving high standards, then I
believe that the first step toward excellence in education has
been taken. Unfortunately, I also believe that many districts
advocate the theory but do not implement the practice. Even
worse, there is implementation without collaboration from
the shareholders, or without properly or adequately training
teachers to cope with new and more demanding standards.
Thus the question remains, do we rally in support of, or
against higher standards for curriculum? To be sure, both
positions merit careful review and consideration. As an
ardent advocate for higher standards, I concur with the
benefits and I utilize strategies that assuage the concerns of
those opposed to raising and maintaining higher standards.
When a district touts high standards for excellence, I
am immediately curious. As a linguist, I wonder what “high”
and “standards” look like. “High” can be defined as
exceeding the common degree or measure. (What does
“common” look like?) “Standards” can be defined as
principles that are used as benchmarks for judgment
(whose?). Thus, if S-BE is to be successful, then it needs to
be created collaboratively among shareholders, and meet
federal, state, and local guidelines. The standards must be
clearly defined and articulated, and as well, student-centered.
The standards need to be meaningful, manageable, and
measureable for students and teachers alike. This includes,
but is not limited to, multiple intelligences, physical abilities
and disabilities, gender, race, and socio-economic stature. In
demanding higher standards, there must be continual
evaluation for validity, appropriateness, and mastery.
Consequently, there must be programs of remediation when
mastery is challenging, and enrichment, when easily
achieved. Simply put, when this protocol is implemented,
when learning is about mastery and not mystery, when goals
are clearly articulated and generated at many levels, it is quite
feasible to set the educational bar high(er) and have students
ask how “high” we would have them jump.
One such strategy is Issues-based Education (I-BE),
where the students are involved in the planning, creation, and
execution of the learning, and the goals are clearly and
collaboratively articulated and routinely measured. In
implementing I-BE I believe that students will achieve
success in reaching higher standards because there is
ownership in the learning, making it personal to the student.
For example, in the current ACE Spanish unit which
addresses the protection of the natural environment, students
may select from issues such as deforestation, depletion of
the ozone layer or the potential extinction of indigenous
flora and fauna of Costa Rica. In any of these issues, all
students are responsible for the same structure and
supportive vocabulary, although each student personalizes
his vocabulary according to his issue. As well, many
students choose to utilize more sophisticated structures,
comprehensive tenses and idiomatic expressions. For the
summative assessment, students are required to write an
essay of at least three hundred words in Spanish, and
complete an in-depth interview, with the instructor. For
both assessments, students will state their chosen issue, cite
how long the problem has existed, make suggestions to
eliminate or ameliorate the situation, and make predictions
about the future of the issue. They must support their
position with cited research. The entire oral/aural
assessment lasts from six to nine minutes. They have a
rubric prior to beginning the unit and may self determine
their individual levels of mastery, with remediation and
enrichment critical components of the unit. This example at
level IV of Spanish is merely one unit in a given academic
year. It requires creativity, collaboration, and the
application of critical thinking skills to solve problems. The
tasks as well as the assessments are authentic, as are each of
the issues. There are formative assessments as well. In
contrast, many local districts deliver traditional grammar/
vocabulary driven curricula, which only assess mechanical
skills and random, rote memorization of vocabulary.
For those opposed to higher standards in the
curriculum, I believe that in meeting the above parameters,
naysayers will understand the benefits of higher standards. I
am confident that there will be “higher” levels of
achievement and academic success, addressing all learners
and learning styles. As well, there can be “built-in”
diagnostics for evaluation, remediation, and enrichment,
offering equity among all students regardless of ethnicity,
and linguistic, physical or emotional challenges. Moreover,
there is a tacit standard for accountability that will not
permit random instruction without a goal-driven curriculum.
Allowing for higher standards is a challenge facing
our nation’s 21st century schools, and if we are not willing
to “raise the bar”, mediocrity will become the new exemplar
of success. In the words of John Kennedy, “Efforts and
courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”
References:
Parkay, F. W., Anctil, E. J., & Hass, G. (2010). Curriculum leadership: Readings for developing quality educational programs. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Page 6—January 2015
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FROM THE ADVANCEMENT OFFICE —
Classic Corvette Raffle
LAST CHANCE to enter for your chance to win a 1972 Red Coupe Corvette or a $10,000 cash
prize. Interested ticket buyers have the option of paying $25 per chance or $100 for 6. Please contact
the Advancement office at 607-734-2267 or purchase tickets online at the ND website by clicking
Classic Corvette under Quick Links on the home page. The drawing will take place on January 8,
2015. Participants do not need to be present to win. The winner is responsible for all taxes and
delivery fees.
7th & 8th Grade News
Happy New Year! May we continue to see the abundance of
God’s love and share that with others. The Christmas season
truly is a time of awe and wonder. As I reflect back on the many
hands that contributed to the Christmas Baskets and our Golden
Mass, I am grateful for the generosity of our students, parents,
faculty, staff and alumni. We have been blessed to bring
Christmas baskets to 25 families. I, myself, was able to deliver a
family basket this year. The mother was awe-struck by our love
and kindness, coming at a time when she needed it. This mother
believed it to be truly a providential sign of God’s faithfulness
and love.
December was filled with many awe-inspiring moments: serving
at the food bank, students going forth to Christmas caroling,
helping the elderly shop for Christmas and my list goes on. I had
the opportunity to take Alyish McCloe, Gabriela Robinson,
Isabella Harvey, Carolina Juarez, Lauren Sullivan and Taylor
Van Dine to the seminar “Life Powered by You”. The students
attended four workshop that were led by local business leaders.
It was an opportunity to gain insights and knowledge. On the
ride back to school I asked our students which workshop helped
them the most. It was unanimous: the social media workshop
was most informative for them. The knowledge they gained and
wanted to share with us is “once you post something it will
never be deleted.”
January brings a sense of new life. I am thankful for that little
extra time of sun light in the afternoon. I am also thankful for
our Students for Life, who bring the light of Christ as advocates
for life. They are preparing for the “March for Life” in
Washington D.C. on January 22, 2015. There are still a few
seats left on the bus. Please contact Mrs. McCaig if interested.
Please keep our representatives in your prayers.
My prayer reflection is simply to invite you to take time each
day and to reflect with gratitude and thank God.
In Mercy,
Mrs. Nancy Roy
Campus Minister
Happy 2015! We are back after a wonderful, long Christmas holiday
and hopefully all of our students are ready to prepare for midterms—our big
January event. Please check the exam schedule in this issue of the Crusader
Connection and note that students are only required to be in school during their
own exams. Lunch will be available in the cafeteria during exams on 1/27 till
1/28, with a cold lunch only on 1/26.
All of this work follows a December filled with generosity as we
collected supplies for our Christmas basket families. We thank our homeroom
Christmas basket reps, our parent drivers, and all of our families who helped
make Christmas happy for families who have so much less than we do. We
served over 100 meals at the Elmira Community Kitchen in both December and
January, under the guidance of Mrs. Michele Drake (Garrett ’17 and Macie ’16).
We celebrated at the Snowflake Ball on December 6th, with all proceeds going to
support our Soup Kitchen ministry. We thank Mr. Giancoli and Mr. Gergley for
the music, Mr. Barnes and Mr. Conlon for helping to chaperone, and Betsy
Brand, Tina Zerbe, Mr. and Mrs. Qualey, Mr. and Mrs. Baker, and Mr. and Mrs.
Eller for helping to decorate and chaperone. Our young gentlemen looked so
handsome and our young ladies were sparklingly lovely in their finery.
We were very proud to send 6 7th and 8th graders to a workshop, Life…
Empowered by You, on December 4th. Lauren Sullivan, Taylor VanDine and
Carolina Juarez from our 7th grade and Aylish McCloe, Gabriella Robinson and
Isabella Harvey from our 8th grade attended the full day workshop sponsored by
the Career Development Council.
Our 7th graders elected their representatives to the Mercy Core Group,
the junior high student government. The new reps are Elyse Bell, Colin
Erickson, Scott Herlan and Caroline Ronsivalle. They join the 8 th grade reps,
John Hunter Booth, Abby Connolly, Patrick Finnerty, and Alexa Wagner. The
Mercy Core Group will work with Mrs. Jennings on activities such as a
fundraiser for a second toaster in the cafeteria, running the Yearbook Cover
Design Contest, and planning social activities.
We are very proud to be part of the Corning Foundation Grant to
provide FOSS training in our area Catholic Schools. We have been
implementing FOSS science in our 7th and 8th grade curriculum, and look
forward to having a consultant on call for guidance. Thank you so much to the
Corning Foundation.
The Corning Museum of Glass is sponsoring their annual Junior
Scientist Program this spring. The program offers amazing opportunities to
study with real scientists at the museum. Applications are available for 7 th
through 9th graders from Mrs. Jennings, and are due on January 31.
Last, and definitely not least, we salute Nick Visilli ’20 for winning the History
Bee on December 12, as well as second place winner Peter Czank ‘19 and third
place winner Rocco Scarselletta ‘19 . Each of our historical scholars was
awarded a gift card of his choice and enormous bragging rights. We are very
proud of them and we thank Mr. Barnes for facilitating this event.
All of the 7th and 8th grade faculty joins me in wishing you all a 2015 full of
God’s blessings and goodness.
- Mrs. Karen Jennings—7th & 8th Junior High Coordinator