The ND Spirit

This school year, we have an exciting opportunity for our students to learn and grow—Immersion Week. This week (January 5-9, 2026) is a week of school when the students won’t attend classes but will instead learn outside the classroom. They will be immersed and will be challenged to learn in new and practical ways. We want our Notre Dame students to have unique, hands-on, and practical learning experiences which will bring out their potential to lead extraordinary lives.

Please see below for the outline of each grade’s Immersion Week and the expectations for students and parents.

9th & 10th Grade Retreat & Outdoor Education

The 9th & 10th graders will be attending a weeklong retreat at Redwood Christian Camp in Boulder Creek. This is a fabulous facility and the outdoor education portion will be coordinated by WOLF (Wilderness Outdoor Leadership Foundation) Adventures and the retreat portion will be coordinated by our Campus Minister, Ms. Sklarosky, and Miss Marisol. Both Ms. Sklarosky and Miss Marisol will be in attendance the entire time along with the staff from WOLF. Students will learn about nature, teamwork, and receive a break from their stressful lives in our wonderful outdoors. We view this as a transformative experience for our students as they learn about their world, their classmates, and themselves. We expect that students will be more closely connected and we hope to awaken a deeper sense of God’s presence in their lives.

We’re investing in our retreat programs and investing in our students’ spiritual wellbeing. We hope this weeklong experience will awaken a sense of community, adventure, and peace. It is costly so we are asking each 9th/10th grade family to pay $200 for the cost but we will be providing small fundraisers to defray the cost if a family would prefer to fundraise instead.

Students will be staying in cabins in small groups (with running water!) and will be eating at the excellent cafeteria. We will have activities for 9th grade only, for 10th grade only, and together. Students are expected to be in attendance for the entire week. We will have a more detailed information session during Parent-Teacher Conferences (October 15th).

11th Grade College Bootcamp

The 11th graders will be spending time learning about and then beginning the college application process. They will be visiting Hartnell College on Monday, St. Mary’s and Santa Clara on Tuesday, UC Santa Cruz or UC Davis on Wednesday, Cal Poly on Thursday, and perhaps MPC on Friday. Mrs. Uhl will be leading this and the students will be receiving a grade for their work on this one-week class and their work on the application process. We hope this week takes advantage of our unique geographic location close to so many great higher education opportunities. We will be traveling via Notre Dame vans and will be looking for parent chaperones for these day trips if you’d like to come along.

12th Grade Internships

The 12th graders will be serving in internships for that entire week. We are finalizing the opportunities this month. The students will be working full-time for local non-profits during the week and will be reflecting on their experiences. This assignment aligns with our efforts to get out into the community and serve. But it also a chance for students to learn about themselves and the kind of work they enjoy. Students will be receiving a different type of education—namely, what are the demands of work? What are the skills necessary to be successful? And what do these lessons teach us about our future? Students will be receiving a grade for their work and reflections on the internships. There will not be a charge for the internships.

Taken together, I hope you can see the tremendous opportunities that these activities hold for our Spirits. Immersion Week will be different but our hope is that it’s full of remarkable opportunities.

Go Spirits!

Dr. Tim Uhl

• The juniors & seniors will be traveling to Merrill Farms on Thursday morning via bus to tour a working farm and to gain a better understanding of how agriculture works in the Salinas Valley

• Miss Marisol will be having a meeting on Thursday, September 18 at 6:00 PM in the Commons for anyone that is interested in assisting with the Hispanic Heritage Event. Service Hours will be given for your participation.

• You are invited to attend our Hispanic Heritage Event on Saturday, October 4. Tickets may be purchased here by Monday, September 29 or checks can be made payable to Notre Dame High School and turned in to Miss Marisol.

• We are now partnered up with Chick-fil-A to provide lunch on Tuesdays. Please place your orders here by 12:00 PM this Friday, September 19.

• Sacred Heart International Festival is on Sunday, September 28. Students are invited to sign up here to volunteer at this great event!

• The Airshow will be on Saturday, October 4 and Sunday, October 5. If students are interested in volunteering, they may sign up here!

• We're reaching out to our parishes and are looking for parent & student volunteers to staff our information booths after Masses: San Carlos Cathedral Sep 21st, and Madonna del Sasso Sept 21st. Sign up here.

• This week's student announcements can be found here

• We've launched this simple Google Form to "crowdsource" alumnae information. If you know of any alumnae, feel free to share the link

• Here is a Google Doc with student service opportunities
• Volleyball schedule can be found here; tennis schedule here. Both the volleyball and tennis teams are undefeated in conference play!

Here is the link to the Student Handbook. We're continuing to adjust as issues arise.

• Sep 17: Volleyball home vs. York (JV 5/ varsity 6)
• Sep 18: tennis @ PCS
• Sep 19: volleyball @ Trinity Christian
• Sep 20: varsity volleyball @ Gonzales tournament
• Sep 22: No School (professional development)
• October 4: Hispanic Heritage Celebration
• October 14: Parent-Teacher Conferences
• October 25: Middle School Halloween Dance
• November 1st: Bocce Ball!
• November 15: Mother-Daughter Tea & Fashion Show
• February 7: Crab & Pasta Feed

CSU College Night

Notre Dame students, one parent, and one principal drove up to Santa Clara last night for the CSU informaiton night. Two sophomores are pictured at right. CSU application window (and the FAFSA application) open October 1st. Seniors are encouraged to come to see me to help prepare!

Scholarship list

Email: tuhl@notredamesalinas.org

Website: www.notredamesalinas.org
Location: Salinas, CA
Phone: 831-751-1850
Twitter: @drtimuhl