Greetings from Notre Dame Middle School!
We are elated to be in the Holiday Season once again at Notre Dame, even more so this year as we are representing 4 different Houses/Teams; The House of St. George, The House of St. Scholastica, The House of St. Francis, and finally The House of St. Sebastian. We wanted the students to be associated with specific Saints (chosen by Middle School teachers) so the students could learn more about each Saint. Mr. Dopp chose St. Scholastica as she was synonymous with education, while Mr. Dargis’ choice of St. Francis was a natural choice given his permanent classroom guests. Mrs. Murphy chose St. Sebastian because of her love of athletics, and finally Ms. Maurer chose St. George due to his association with books.
To begin the year, we randomly assigned each student to a House/Team; a process we will repeat with next year’s incoming sixth graders and new students. Outside of specific House activities, the students begin each day in their House to discuss the day ahead, address academic issues, collect any information for the office, and lastly, we attend weekly Mass together.
Outside of these routine House activities, we have also competed in some team building challenges. In September, the Houses competed in a plastic cup architecture challenge where they had to form several different structures. In October, the Houses took part in a Halloween candy toss game in the gym. Besides these games, students earn points for their respective Houses by doing good works throughout the school day such as showing leadership, Christian values, and helping others.
At this time, The House of St. Sebastian is in first place with the most points, but there are some House challenges left before we complete our first trimester. A House/Team will take ownership of the NDA Cup after each trimester with a Team winning for the 2023-2024 year at NDA Day! Their name will be engraved on the Cup. Look for more House information on the bulletin boards in the IHM hallway near the cafeteria.
The Houses will soon be showing Thanksgiving and Christmas colors, Christmas Trees will once again adorn each House, and seasonal music will echo down our hallways. The students always look forward to the time spent decorating their own Houses during morning House time and any other chance they get. We have traditionally taken part in a friendly decorating competition judged by Kindergarteners who tour each room on the day of the Christmas Parties. Please look for more exciting information on our Middle School in the coming weeks!
Mr. Dopp
St. Scholastica Team Advisor
