Some days, I feel like I spend all day cultivating soil. Other days, planting seeds. And then there are days like we've had in the past week when it's harvest time. We had a great week!

Last Thursday, we hosted Bishop Danny & Bishop Ryan along with the middle schoolers from Madonna and Sacred Heart for an All-School Mass and Posada. It was a joyful experience filled with great music, fellowship, and fun. (pictures & video below)

On Sunday, we hosted alumnae and parents for our 60th Anniversary party & Fine Arts showcase. Every one of the 29 Spirits enrolled in our Interdisciplinary Arts class sang three times with the choir, danced once in a number, and delivered their own dramatic interpretation of a poem. There was so much talent!

Jimmy Rossi, our fearless choir teacher, capped off the event with the story of "Eight Days a Week." The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show February 9th, 1964 (the same year Notre Dame opened!) to kick off Beatlemania. Later that year, they wrote "Eight Days a Week" which was released in December, 60 years ago this month! So it was a fitting end to the showcase.

On Monday, we dropped off lots of gifts for the 17 families we sponsored through Catholic Charities. It was great to see the generosity of our Spirits. Our Christmas gift drive continues as we try to raise money for toys for children living in a nearby farmworker settlement.

Go Spirits!

Dr. Tim Uhl

• Tomorrow (Dec 12th), we'll celebrate Notre Dame de Guadalupe with Bishop Danny and Madonna School. We'll have a regular start (8:30 am), students are requested to be in Mass attire, and we'll take a school bus over and back.
• The student announcements for the week can be found here.
• 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.

• Dec 11th: Basketball (away) at Everett Alvarez HS 5:30 pm
• Dec 12th: regular (8:30 am) start; 10:45 Mass @ Madonna Church
• Dec 13th: Ugly Sweater contest
• Dec 17: Blocks 6 (8:30) & 7 semester finals (10:30); dismissal at noon
• Dec 18: Blocks 4 (8:30) & 5 semester finals (10:30) ; dismissal at noon
• Dec 19: Blocks 2 (8:30) & 3 semester finals (10:30) ; dismissal at noon
• Dec 20: Block 1 (8:30) semester final; dismissal at 10:00 am
• Dec 20: Alumnae brunch 10:00 am
• Jan 18: Crab Feed

ACE High has created a web page where athletes and their parents can customize spirit wear to support their favorite ND sports. Here is the link. As we continue to add games, here is the basketball schedule, the lacrosse schedule, the swimming schedule, and the softball schedule.

2024-25 Scholarship Opportunities

The Arts, often overlooked in traditional academic settings, play a crucial role in a well-rounded high school education. They offer a unique blend of cognitive, emotional, and social benefits that extend far beyond the classroom. Arts education nurtures creativity, allowing students to think outside the box and generate innovative ideas.

Dr. Uhl has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to fostering creativity and artistic expression among our students. Under his leadership, our school has experienced a remarkable growth in the Arts programs. He has advocated for Art, Choir, Dance and Theater, and the girls have reaped the benefits. Our showcase on Sunday was well attended as the students were provided opportunities to share their talents and gain recognition.

Beyond school, Dr. Uhl has demonstrated his own interest and appreciation for the theater. He and his son, George and Mrs. England (and two of her sons!) are presently acting in the Ariel production of “The Christmas Carol.” They are both quite the thespians, so if you have a chance to attend a performance there are several this weekend! You won’t be disappointed!

Dr. Uhl is a true champion of the arts, and we are fortunate to have such a passionate and visionary leader at the helm of Notre Dame.

Email: tuhl@notredamesalinas.org

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

TheCatholic School Matters podcast is on hiatus until January.

Previous episodes this season:

• conversation with Dr. John Reyes of Boston College discussing the concept of "polycrisis" and how that impacts leadership in these turbulent times.
• A conversation with Ryan Collins, an Educational Technology blogger and administrator, discussing how AI is changing educational technology and instruction.
• A discussion about burnout and balanced leadership with consultant and former Catholic school leader Andrew Murray. Based in New Zealand, Murray has a unique perspective on finding balance after a tough bout with long COVID.
• A conversation with author, professor, and school choice advocate Dr. Ashley Rogers Berner of Johns Hopkins. Her new book Educational Pluralism & Democracy: How to Handle Indoctrination, Promote Exposure, and Rebuild America's Schools is a great discussion of building a new system of school with accountability
• A conversation with Susan Morrissey about Artificial Intelligence. Susan is a graduate student and PD presenter who thinks about AI through a Catholic lens.
• I kicked off Season 9 with a conversation with theologian Dr. Ann Garrido. We discuss her latest book, Redeeming Power, and its relation to her earlier work Let's Talk About Truth. We discuss how power and influence are perceived, how important it is to be truthful in leadership, and the challenges of both in ministry