The ND Spirit

It's time to take the temperature of our school community. We'd like to ask all stakeholders (parents, students, staff members) to fill out this survey to let us know what's going well and where we need to improve.

There's a lot to be thankful for and a lot to celebrate: our athletic successes, our new Dual Enrollment programs, our service program, our upcoming Immersion Week, our National Honor Society service programs, our large 9th grade class, our successful Bocce night and Hispanic Heritage nights, our upcoming Fall Play, etc. And let's not forget--we are living our mission to provide an excellent Catholic education to young women.

But we can always get better. James Clear in Atomic Habits discussed how making small changes can lead to big improvements over time. If you get 1% better each day, that will mean 37% improvement in a year! So we're looking for ways to improve so we can iterate in small ways and get even better.

Go Spirits!

Dr. Tim Uhl

We were fortunate to have Rep. Zoe Lofgren visit campus last Friday. Before addressing students in assembly, she toured the school and engaged with students and staff members. She was a skilled listener!

• This week's students announcements can be found here.

• Posada Committee Meeting on Thursday, November 20 at 6pm in the Commons or you can join via Google Meet (link here)

• Crab Feed Committee Meeting on Tuesday, December 2nd at 10am in Room 13 or you can join via Google Meet (link here)

• The 9th & 10th grade families have begun selling raffle tickets ($10 each) to raise money for their January retreat (January 5-9). The prizes are gift cards with 1st prize of $500 worth of gift cards, 2nd prize $250. Tickets will be sold for next two weeks and the drawing will be at the Fine Arts showcase on Tuesday, December 9th.

• Here is the link to order Notre Dame letter jackets. The rep from Josten's will be here on Dec 10th during lunch for a sizing

• We have a $5 Pay to Dress on Tuesdays & Thursdays to raise money for our Christmas Sponsorship drive. This money will go to purchasing essentials for our 17 families. If you'd like to donate more, we'll gladly accept!

• 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
• Here is a look at the basketball schedule

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

• Nov 19: All-School Mass 10:40 pm
• Nov 20: $5 Pay to Dress to benefit Christmas family project; Posada Committee Meeting at 6pm in the Commons
• Dec 3rd: All-School Mass & Posada (with Sacred Heart & Madonna Middle Schools)
• Dec 5-6: Fall Play
• Dec 9th: Fine Arts Showcase & raffle ticket drawing
• Dec 10th: Letter jacket sizing1:05 pm
• Dec 16-19th: Semester Exam schedule (noon dismissal Tues-Thurs, 10 am Friday)
• Feb 7: Crab & Pasta Feed

High school semester exams, which are 90 minutes in length and account for 20% of the final grade in each class, will take place over four days in December. There will be two exams per day, separated by a 30-minute break. The provided schedule outlines the specific dates and times for each class block's exam. When the exams are finished, students are dismissed for the day.

Exam Schedule

Tuesday, Dec 16th

• 8:30 am, 7th Block
• 10:30 am, 6th Block

Wednesday, Dec 17th

• 8:30 am, 5th Block
• 10:30 am, 4th Block

Thursday, Dec 18th

• 8:30 am, 3rd Block
• 10:30 am, 2nd Block

Friday, Dec 19th

• 8:30 am, 1st Block

Preparation and Support

Students should begin preparing for exams over the one-week Thanksgiving break. Effective study strategies include:

• Organizing previous exams and quizzes

• Rewriting notes

• Setting up a study schedule

Students requiring extra assistance in preparing for exams should meet directly with their teachers and plan to study well in advance. Mrs. Uhl is available to help students organize materials and coordinate meetings with teachers if needed.

Post-Exam Event

Following the final exam on Friday morning, December 19, all current students are welcome to stay and celebrate the end of the semester at Notre Dame's Annual Home for the Holidays brunch, a gathering that also welcomes alumnae who graduated in the past four years.

Summer PreCollege Programs

For 9th, 10th & 11th grade students interested in taking courses on college campuses during the summer break, please look at this Google Sheet of resources.

Scholarship list

Next big event coming up… the annual Crab and Pasta Feed. Mark your calendars-February 7, 2026! Tickets will go on sale on November 17th.

Email: tuhl@notredamesalinas.org

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

This month I started a new series of podcasts. Author and frequent podcast guest Dr. Ann Garrido was recently diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. I've begun a series of conversations with thought leaders in Catholic education discussing her impact on their work and lives. This week's podcast brings together Dr. Mike Daniels of LaSallian Schools along with Ashley Rae Mathis, the president of Notre Dame HS (San Jose) to discuss Garrido's influence.

Previous episodes this season:

• This podcast explores Garrido's influence with Dr. Erin Barisano of the Diocese of Orange and Dr. Lauren Casella of LMU
• The first tribute podcast is Dr. Kevin Baxter of ACE-Notre Dame
• This podcast conversation delves into Pope Leo's new Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te. I speak with David Palmieri, a theologian and high school teacher. We share reflections and insights from this amazing work
• I recorded a podcast conversation with Greg Richmond, the Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Chicago. We discussed the joys of having a pope named from your hometown (and with a long history of Catholic schools) and the challenges and disruptions of ICE raids near your schools. Here is a link to the podcast.