Regal Girl at Notre Dame Academy

regal GIRL AT NOTRE DAME ACADEMY

welcome, FUTURE REGALS I invite you to discover Notre Dame Academy, a Catholic, private, college-preparatory high school for young women. Our culture of learning puts the student at the very center of our effort to create an engaging and nurturing environment in which each young woman can develop self-confidence. Our researchbased SEL curriculum, community time, advisory programs, new eight class period expanded schedule and growing emphases in STEM, Innovation and Leadership, Visual and Performing Arts, and more help us offer a high school experience where every young woman is challenged, supported, known, and loved.

“High sc ho a lot of a ol is a lot of fun.

You mak mazing friends a e so many nd will s memorie hare s togethe r.”

Although life is changing all around us as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, innovative teaching and learning at NDA continue. Our faculty and staff are united in support of our girls and have transitioned seamlessly into distance learning. We all know that academics are just part of a comprehensive high school experience, so we have revisioned student life activities for our remote environment as well. Virtual dance conventions, zoom team workouts, and online prayer opportunities are all ways we continue to focus on the whole person.

Just like you, each of our students has a unique story to tell and distinctive gifts to contribute to our community. As you learn more about NDA, I look forward to helping you discover how NDA can be part of your own special story.

In Notre Dame, Michele White ‘96 Director of Admissions

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d ’ll fin u o Y e. t alon NDA.” o n e ’r at “You place

your

vision

Our mission to educate young women to make a difference demands that we adapt in order to prepare girls to be the leaders of tomorrow. Built on 70 years of tradition, Notre Dame Academy is uniquely positioned to redefine the high school experience. You may think you’re searching for the perfect school -- the beautiful campus, co-curricular programs, and athletic teams. But really, you’re here for your education, and that’s anything BUT perfect. It’s messy work and it’s not always easy. You’ll develop critical intellectual skills that will serve you no matter what career path you choose. You’re not looking for the perfect school, you’re searching for the best environment to discern who you’re called to be.

“Strive f or pro not perfe gress, ction.”

YOU’RE SEARCHING FOR THE BEST ENVIRONMENT TO DISCERN WHO YOU’RE

“Do the

thing y ou’re n er doing.

It will p vous about ay off!”

called to be.

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known

“Kindess takes you a long way.”

Notre Dame Academy provides a nurturing community for girls to grow as they strive for excellence in academics, athletics, and the arts. Caring relationships with teachers and mentors form the foundation of our close-knit community and enable students to cultivate essential life skills: collaboration, communication, content, critical thinking, creative innovation, and confidence.

valued

Informed by the charism of the Sisters of Notre Dame, each girl is cherished not merely as a student, but as a person created in the image of God. She is valued because her very presence – with unique gifts and needs – strengthens our community. NDA provides the space and support to authentically express herself as she grows academically, socially, and spiritually.

“Put effort into getting to know your teachers. A good relationship with them makes the classroom experience much more memorable and enjoyable.”

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will ool, you h c s o t n e i u put a positiv h t i w “What yo n i me ow.” f it, so co n and gr r a get out o le o t ready attitude

challenged

NDA challenges each girl to develop her voice and use it to preserve her rights, to protect her dignity, and to pursue her dreams. More important, however, NDA equips her to use that voice to engage others in civil discourse, to fight for innovation to bring solutions to world problems, and to defend the rights, dignity, and dreams of others. NDA empowers young women to make a difference no matter her path or passion.

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VPA OPTIONS

10:1 STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO

WINNER

OF THE NCEA AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN CATHOLIC EDUCATION

300

23

GIRLS GRADES 9-12

STEM OPTIONS

10

VARSITY SPORTS

8

PERIOD SCHEDULE

20K

100%

ACCEPTANCE TO 4-YEAR COLLEGES

SERVICE HOURS ANNUALLY

GROWTH MINDSET

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HONORS & AP CLASSES 5

NDA Z to

Learn more about all things Notre Dame Academy in this handy alphabetized list. Check our Instagram page for suggestions from our alumnae, too!

A

AP and Honors

NDA offers more than 25 honors and AP courses in every discipline. Online options are also available. Honors options begin in the freshman year.

C

B

Buck-a-Stuff

Wear free dress while you support your community.

All donations go directly to organizations near and far -- from breast cancer research to our sister school in Uganda.

Catholic

Visit campus to feel and see our Catholic faith in action in students and faculty alike. Celebrate Mass with your sisters, participate in retreats, and take responsibility for your own faith journey.

D

Dance

Audition for four levels of dance and take it for VPA or PE credit, or just for fun! Show off your skills with multiple performance opportunities throughout the year.

E

Electives

Our rotating, eight-period schedule has time built in for both independent study and electives, as well as office hours to visit teachers and community time. Choose from a range of visual arts courses, dance, drama, criminal and civil law, journalism, and more!

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“Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try new things! You won’t regret it.”

G

F

Forge friendships with your future bridesmaids as you navigate the formative high school years with the help of a supportive faculty and staff.

Grit

Our girls set high goals and work hard to achieve them! Both grit and persistence are key to cultivating growth mindset.

I

Friends

Innovation

H

Honor Code

NDA abides by a student-created and directed honor code. The Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE) recently awarded NDA’s Honor Council its Exemplar School Prize.

If you’re intrigued by technology, design thinking, entrepreneurship, and economics, consider the Disruptive Innovation class, a foundational course in the Innovation Pathway and part of the Duddy Innovation Center of Excellence.

J

Justice

Social justice, that is. It’s a tenet of the Sisters of Notre Dame and the focus of the senior religion curriculum.

K

L

Lunch

Kairos

Our four-year retreat program culminates with Kairos, a four day, three night experience senior year. Live the fourth!

M

Mock Trial

Looking for an opportunity for writing, analysis, and a little bit of acting in a single competition? Mock Trial is for you! Put your skills to the test as you craft arguments for the defense or become the prosecution’s best witness.

Feel like homemade donuts and muffins?

Prefer curly fries and paninis? Or how about fresh smoothies and salads? Chef Mark provides a delicious hot lunch and snacks each day. Find a spot on the lawn, on the steps, or in the Cafe. Lunch is a time for friends, fun, and food!

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“Try not to grow up too quickly when you get to high school.

High school flies by and it’s important to fully enjoy each moment and each memory you make.”

N

National Honors Society

Members of the school’s chapter of the National Honor Society offer free peer tutoring at lunchtime for all subjects.

O

Overall

Wellness

In addition to academic counselors, personal counselors are available for students every day for times when you need a little extra support.

Q

Queen’s

Council

The members of this 60-person team are the ambassadors at Open House, shadow days, and other events. Look for their signature white sweaters.

S

Spring Musical

P

Penny Loafers

R

Robotics and

Black penny loafers are an essential part of the dress uniform. Wear them with white socks and your burgundy skirt and blazer for liturgies, assemblies, and other special occasions.

These competitive (and award winning!) teams are part of our STEM Pathways (SP2) program designed for students considering careers in engineering.

Under the capable direction of Mrs. Duerr, students produce a musical each spring and compete in the DTASC drama competition each fall. It’s one of the many performance opportunities for our singers, dancers, and thespians.

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Rocketry

T

Traditions

Notre Dame Day. Junior Ring Ceremony. Mary’s Day. Class Colors. These are just a few of the unique traditions we celebrate that unite us as an all-girl community and connect us to more than 6,000 alumnae.

University of

U

California

Well-

Adjusted

Balance is essential to a happy and healthy high school experience. That’s why our faculty considers the whole student when evaluating course requests. No two students are alike and neither are their schedules!

Y

Yearbook

Chronicle the year for and with your classmates as a member of the Royale staff, or simply celebrate its publication on Mary’s Day with a Mass and picnic in the spring.

Volleyball

X

Xenon

Choose from 10 varsity sports at NDA. While volleyball and soccer are our most competitive, cross country and softball are nocut. Twentyeight Regals have been named to All-League teams and more than 30 graduates are playing Division 1 college sports.

The UCs, Jesuit universities, and HBCUs are popular choices for college among our graduates, 100% of whom are accepted to four-year programs.

Dedicated teachers and four years of academic counseling will help get you there.

W

V

After taking biology in freshman year, explore elements like xenon in chemistry sophomore year. Then pick your (science) path from courses including physics, anatomy & physiology, and astronomy, as well as AP options in biology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, and computer science.

Z

Zeal

Our students demonstrate an enthusiasm for learning both in and outside the classroom.

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senior SPOTLIGHT

Look for advice from our senior Queen’s Council members on each page!

Amour

Alexis

10

e

Isab el

Katrina

Mas

on

a Karin

Brooklyn

Nicole

Isab

ella

“Be yourself unapologetically.�

Siena

Es mer

alda

la Mikay

Chloe

Angelica

Ang

elica

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expanded SCHEDULE Eight class periods in a rotating block schedule mean you’ll meet all your requirements within the school day and can explore new course options. With independent study time in each rotation, you’ll be able to balance schoolwork and extra-curricular pursuits.

Start/End

Monday

Tuesday

8:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Period 1

Period 5

9:15 AM - 9:55 AM

Community Time

Clubs/Office Hours

10:00 AM - 11:15 AM

Period 2

Period 6

11:15 AM - 11:30 AM

Break

Break

11:30 AM - 12:45 PM

Period 3

Period 7

12:45 PM - 1:15 PM

Lunch

Lunch

1:20 PM - 2:35 PM

Period 4

Period 8

growing EMPHASIS options

You might further an existing passion or discover a new one with emphasis options in STEM, Innovation and Leadership, VPA, Catholic Social Teaching, Humanities, and more! You’ll rely on cohesive subject teams to mentor and support you through a combination of academic coursework, internships, and service learning.

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“If you’re not having fuun, you’re doing it wrong.”

social-emotional LEARNING (SEL) You are so much more than a standardized test score or college application essay. We partner with your parents to develop happy, healthy, resilient young women equipped to face life’s challenges secure in the knowledge they are invaluable because they are made in the image of God. We all know that a college degree doesn’t guarantee success.

In fact, just 56% of college students graduate within six years.

The greatest predictor of success is the ability to manage emotions and build relationships, muscles that we’ll build throughout your four years. Most young women become better students at NDA. Some mature into better athletes, dancers, or artists, too. But without exception, all young women become better people at Notre Dame Academy.

community TIME

e eryon v e o t yt iendl you migh r f e ob le ure t t to peop s e k u “Ma ach o ot know.” e r d n an

Dedicated time both as a class and as a school ensures we preserve and cultivate our most valuable asset: our diverse all-girls community. We’re not upholding our promise to provide a comprehensive, 21st-century education if we only focus on classes and grades. Instead, be prepared to engage with challenging ideas, recognize complexity, support a position with evidence, and maybe reconsider your own beliefs. We can’t achieve that, though, if NDA is a comfortable little island, populated only with people who look like you, think like you, act like you, and believe what you do.

In this moment, NDA is called to be a Catholic community that values many, often disparate voices. We are called to reject “cancel culture” because we all make mistakes.

We are called to take responsible risks, to stretch and grow and support others to do the same.

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portrait OF A graduate faith,

An NDA graduate is a woman of

who lives Catholic values and witnesses God’s goodness and provident care;

academic excellence,

who thinks critically and communicates effectively;

vision& leadership,

who collaborates, problem solves, and uses technology ethically;

service& compassion,

who makes a positive difference in the world.

educating

YOUNG WOMEN

difference

to make a

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college LIST American University* Arizona State University Bates College Belmont University Biola University* Boston College* Boston University Brown University Bryant University* California Baptist University* California Lutheran University* California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo California State Polytechnic University, Pomona* California State University, Channel Islands California State University, Chico California State University, Dominguez Hills California State University, Fullerton California State University, Long Beach* California State University, Los Angeles California State University, Northridge Carleton College* Carnegie Mellon University Case Western Reserve University Chaminade University of Honolulu Chapman University* Clark Atlanta University Claremont McKenna College College of the Holy Cross Colorado State University Columbia University Cornell University Creighton University* Dartmouth College DePaul University Duke University El Camino College Emerson College Fairfield University Fordham University Georgetown University George Washington University Gonzaga University* Grand Canyon University* Harvard University Hawaii Pacific University

Notre Dame Academy graduates of the past four years have been offered admission to the following colleges and universities:

Hofstra University Howard University* Johns Hopkins University Lehigh University Lewis & Clark College Loyola Marymount University* Loyola University Chicago Loyola University New Orleans Marquette University Massachusetts Institute of Technology McGill University* Met Film School (London) Michigan State University Mount Saint Mary’s University* New School-Parsons School of Design* New York University Northeastern University Northern Arizona University Northwestern University* Notre Dame de Namur University Occidental College Oregon State University* Pennsylvania State University* Pepperdine University* Princeton University Providence College Purdue University Regis University Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Sacred Heart University Saint Joseph’s University* Saint Mary’s College Saint Louis University* Salve Regina University* San Diego State University* San Francisco State University San Jose State University Santa Clara University* Santa Monica College* School of the Art Institute of Chicago School of Visual Arts Scripps College Seattle University Southern Methodist University Spelman College St. John’s University St. Olaf College Stanford University Syracuse University*

Texas Christian University The Catholic University of America The George Washington University The Ohio State University The University of Alabama The University of Arizona* Thomas Aquinas College* Tulane University* University of Alabama University of British Columbia University of California, Berkeley* University of California, Davis* University of California, Irvine* University of California, Los Angeles* University of California, Merced University of California, Riverside University of California, San Diego* University of California, Santa Barbara* University of California, Santa Cruz* University of Colorado at Boulder University of Hawaii Manoa University of Kansas University of La Verne* University of Maryland University of Massachusetts University of Miami University of Michigan University of Minnesota, Twin Cities University of Nebraska University of Notre Dame University of Oregon* University of Pennsylvania University of Portland University of Puget Sound* University of San Diego University of San Francisco University of Southern California* University of Texas, Austin* University of the Pacific University of Tulsa University of Washington* University of Wisconsin, Madison* Villanova University Washington State University Washington University in St. Louis* Wellesley College Westmont College* Whittier College Xavier University Yale University *College/university admission offers accepted by the class of 2020

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DISCOVER NDA virtually!

ADMISSIONS EVENTS 2020-2021 CLASS OF 2025 ADMISSIONS INFORMATION NIGHT

Get an overview of the application process and answers to all of your questions.

RSVP and join our admissions staff and Queen’s Council students live for this informative Zoom presentation.

September 30 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

TUESDAY TOURS

Meet administrators, teachers, directors, deans and counselors in each discipline via Zoom! Come learn more and see our departments and programs in action!

October 14 Ms. Paetzold ’84, president and head of school, with school leadership October 28 Ms. Morgan, director of college counseling

Join Queen’s Council students and admissions staff at 7 p.m. for a virtual tour of campus and a live Q&A session via Zoom!

October 6 October 20 November 3 December 8

DISCOVER NDA – ZOOM SERIES

November 11 Athletic Director Ms. Nasypany and extra curriculars December 16 Academic deans and faculty members from each discipline January 13 Visual & Performing Arts January 27 Innovation & STEM

Pathways

SHADOW DAYS

Make sure you’ve completed an Inquiry Form on the NDA Admissions page on our website to receive details about our creatively redesigned virtual shadowing opportunities! Shadow Days are open to current 8th grade students only.

OPEN HOUSE

This year’s virtual Open House is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Notre Dame Academy!

Tour the school and meet students, teachers, counselors, and parents during this interactive day! You’ll have the opportunity to watch an arts performance, survey our clubs and organizations, and learn about our Regal athletic teams.

FOLLOW US @REGALGRYPHONS

October 17

HSPT

January 23, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. to noon

GRYPHON DAY

Welcome, 7th graders!

Seventh grade girls are invited to attend Gryphon Day. Online registration will be available in the spring.

April 28

Visit the Admissions Page on our website ndasla.org to register for events.

See you soon!

@NOTREDAMEACADEMYLA