We have been blessed by the good work of parent Morgen Puckett who led the Pozole sale to raise money for our VPA programs. Part of her strategy was to accept donations in order to provide meals to the unhoused/hungry. After she finished her sales on Saturday, she and her daughters boxed and bagged over 100 meals for the hungry in Chinatown. It was an incredible intersection of fundraising (for our VPA programs), community-building of our parents & students rallying around a cause, and charity work (feeding the hungry).

I'm struck by this effort in the midst of our societal conversation about empathy. We seem to have lost touch with care and concern for the needy, especially in the political realm. We seem to be putting individual gain and self-concern about all else. People seem to be more upset about the falling stock market than the cessation of life-giving food and vaccines in Africa. Yet we are called in the time of Lent to widen our circle of care and reach out to those in need.

Thank you, Morgen, for making a difference. We continue to look for ways to engage our community and form our young women. We'll be incorporating service into our curriculum next year in very real ways. We hope to revive our campus ministry program, too. But we need help in accomplishing that mission. We're closing in on our March 18th Day of Giving! Please consider a gift and share the link, too.

Go Spirits!

Dr. Tim Uhl

• Returning families are asked to fill out a financial aid application through Clarity by March 21st. Contracts have been sent out and can be returned electronically.

• Here is a link to the ND Day of Giving

• Here's a link to this week's student announcements

• Here's a letter explaining the AI summer program which has a link to a brochure.

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

• March 13-15: Sacred Heart's Peter Pan at Notre Dame's Theater
• March 18: Notre Dame's Day of Giving
• April 11-12: Notre Dame's spring musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee"
• April 12: Notre Dame's Pickleball tournament
• May 16: "Our Story of the Beatles" production
• May 23: Baccalaureate Mass 10 am Sacred Heart Church
• May 25: Graduation 3:00 pm at the ND Theater

As we continue to add games, here is the the lacrosse schedule, and the swimming schedule. This fall's volleyball and tennis schedules are now being built.

Every interested Spirit coming out for spring sports needs to be up-to-date on Home Campus. Every new student-athlete was emailed information this week.

• College Counseling Upcoming Events & Reminders:

  • Senior Scholarship Lab this Wednesday (3/12) at lunch in room 11. There are MANY local scholarship deadlines approaching, including the Community Foundation for Monterey County, where students can apply for 70+ local scholarships via one application (Deadline: 3/15).
  • Our Women at Work speaker series continues this week with Careers in STEM. See flyer below for speaker details.
    
  • Course Request Forms are due by tomorrow, Thursday, March 13. Students are welcome to schedule a meeting with me anytime to review their course choices.
  • Junior College Meetings: I have asked all juniors to schedule a meeting with me before Spring Break to discuss their college exploration progress and collaborate on an individualized college application plan. Parents are welcome to attend the meeting as well.
  • College Events Next Week: Grand Canyon University will be tabling during lunch on Tuesday, March 18th. Be sure to stop by and learn about their offerings and opportunities! Carroll College will be hosting a college rep visit on campus on Wednesday, March 19th from 8:30-9:15 AM. Be sure to email Mrs. Stone and obtain teacher approval from your 1st block teacher if you'd like to attend.

  
  

  Outisde Opportunities:

  • SVMH Health Explorers Meeting March 24th: Learn from medical professionals and network with peers who share an interest in medical science and health careers. See details for this month's event here.
  • Salinas Valley Summer Health Institute Application Now Open! Apply by 3/25: This five-week program, running from June 16 – July 18, offers a unique opportunity for junior and senior high school students interested in healthcare careers to learn from medical professionals, participate in clinical case studies, and engage in public health advocacy projects. Applications are due by March 25 at 4 PM—be sure to submit all required materials via email. See the attached flyer for details, and apply by March 25th!
  • UC Admission Webinar hosted by Revolution Test Prep-Thursday, April 10th at 6 PM. See flyer for details. Register here.
  • Monterey Recreation Summer Job Opportunities: The City of Monterey Recreation is seeking enthusiastic and responsible students to hire to fill leadership positions in their various summer programs. View the Summer 2025 Job Brochure, Job Descriptions and Download a Job Application.
  • Monterey County Youth Poet Laureate: Open to poets ages 13-19, the winner will serve a one-year term (May 2025 – April 2026), represent the county at events, and receive a $1,000 honorarium. Applicants must reside in Monterey County and submit five original poems by March 19, 2025.

2024-25 College Scholarship Opportunities

We had four amazing alumnae on our Women at Work Series panel last week. They were all in leadership roles and credited their high school experience at Notre Dame for growing their self-confidence through their involvement in ASB, campus ministry, sports and even drama. They learned to become organized, manage their time well and all agreed, they learned great writing skills. They found their voice at ND for helping them to become successful women.

An important message they also shared with our students was to not be fearful if they are uncertain about their future path. Uncertainty is normal and it's perfectly okay to not have it all figured out. In fact, most people don't-they didn’t. These were second careers for all four of them and they were extremely satisfied with their choices. The path to the future isn't always a straight line. It's filled with twists, turns, and unexpected detours. They all suggested using this time to explore interests, try new things, and discover what truly excites them.

This week we welcome four more fantastic alums in the STEM fields.

Email: tuhl@notredamesalinas.org

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

TheCatholic School Matters podcast is back and is now focused on conversations with authors from the upcoming book A Brighter Future for Catholic Schools. The latest podcast features a conversation with Dr. Michael Boyle of the Hermann Center at Saint Louis University. He discusses his work opening up Catholic schools to all learners.

Previous episodes this season:

• The first podcast in the "A Brighter Future for Catholic Schools" is a conversation with Dr. Antonio Felix from LMU who discusses his framework for engaging Hispanic families in Catholic schools. I wrote a longer blog summarizing the podcast here.