Welcome to Notre Dame International High School
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Welcome to Notre Dame International High School From the headmaster Greetings and welcome to Notre Dame International High School (NDIHS). In choosing to attend NDIHS you have made an important decision regarding your educational career that will shape who you will become. Whether you are a returning student or new to NDIHS, this coming school year will offer many new and exciting challenges and experiences for you. Last year we passed a milestone in our program as we were awarded accreditation from the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI), the Northwest Accreditation Commission (NWAC), and the Southern Association Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), all of which are accreditation divisions of AdvancED. During this coming school year our faculty will complete preparation for becoming an IB World School. Notre Dame International High School is a candidate school for the Diploma Programme. Only schools authorized by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programs. IB World schools are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that NDIHS believes is important for our students. We plan to introduce the full IB program in the fall of 2018 for our then eleventh graders with the first IB class graduating in 2020. For further information about the IB and its programs, visit http://www.ibo.org. Our mission is as follows: NDIHS prepares students for professional success in the global community and equips students with the tools to become lifelong learners by fostering the development of critical thinking and communication skills through inquiry and collaboration as they gain a strong sense of personal and social responsibility. We encourage students to grow in their compassion for others, appreciate and respect other cultures, recognize the value of different viewpoints and work towards a more peaceful world grounded in intercultural understanding. As we all continue to grow together, as individuals and as a group, we must keep this mission in mind. The diversity of our student body allows each of us the opportunity to connect with people from other cultures on a daily basis. This allows us to find areas of common interest and concern among our varied backgrounds and experiences. We have twenty nationalities represented in our small school and each person has a unique story to tell. We hope that you take advantage of your time together to share and learn from one another. Please take the time to read through this newsletter carefully and share it with your parents. It includes information about what to expect, what to pack, how to organize travel throughout the year, and how to stay informed of your progress through Powerschool, our online record-keeping system where grades and attendance can be viewed. The fact that you will be far from your parents makes it critical that they continue their role in supporting you academically and Powerschool provides a vehicle of communication with direct access to teachers via email. On behalf of the entire staff, I wish you a good summer and look forward to meeting or seeing you again in September. Mr. Dan Zicari Headmaster NDIHS Newsletter Summer 2017 DZ/07/2017 1
Arrival
Arrival day is Monday, September 4th. Once travel arrangements have been finalized for your arrival, your
flight itinerary must be sent to your Sending Organization or the Admissions Office so it can be shared with
NDIHS staff.
Monday, September 4
If traveling alone, a Nacel escort will meet you at the airport upon arrival and accompany you from the
airport to the school. If you will be coming with your parents, you should plan to arrive at 14h00.
14h00-16h00 Student check-in, parent meeting. First floor of the chateau.
16h00-19h00 Boarding students move in to dormitories. 7-day host family students meet and depart
with their host families.
Tuesday, September 5
8h300-16h30 Student orientation-attendance required for all students. Schedules are distributed.
Wednesday, September 6
8h30-16h30 First full day of classes.
Course offerings
All students will receive their class schedules during orientation. Students are required to have a full
schedule and course selections are determined by the administration as per graduation requirements.
The current course listing for the 2017-18 academic school year includes the following:
● English Literature ● Economics ● Health
● American Literature ● Philosophy ● Art
● Speech ● Biology ● Music
● Writing ● Chemistry ● AP Environmental
● French ● Physics Science
● US Government ● Algebra I ● AP European History
● US History ● Algebra II ● AP Calculus
● World History ● Precalculus ● AP French
● Geography ● Physical Education
Specific course requests (for short-term students) will be considered but must be communicated to
ndihs@ndoverneuil.net before August 10. Every attempt will be made to honor these requests but we
cannot guarantee any specific course placements. Courses may be cancelled due to low enrollment.
Powerschool-the portal to your progress
Our student record-keeping system, Powerschool provides students and parents access to information
about grades, attendance, schedules, courses and school fees. It also provides access to teacher email
accounts to help facilitate communication between the school and parents. All parents and students are
provided with a login and password (sent separately) at the beginning of the school year. Parents are
expected to monitor Powerschool regularly to keep up-to-date on their child’s academic progress.
PowerSchool allows for multiple parent accounts to be created per student. Therefore, both parents can
have their own username and password that is linked with the Student's Access Key.
If you have any questions regarding grades for class assignments during the current semester, talk with
your student first. If you still have questions, you can email your student’s teacher by clicking on the link in
Powerschool. General attendance questions should be directed to the school office.
NDIHS Newsletter Summer 2017 DZ/07/2017 2Powerschool fees
This year, to simplify billing for families, we have added the semester powerschool fees to your regular
tuition and accommodation invoice. The “Balance” section in Powerschool houses the accounting for
exceptional charges that are not covered in the tuition and fees paid to Nacel prior to the start of the
semester. These fees include: overnight trips (whole school or by class), optional trips, participation in
extracurricular sports teams, AP and DELF exams, transcript mailings, graduation fees, cost of replacement
keys, lost or damaged books, damage to school property, or other expenses not included in the semester
tuition or dormitory fees.
These additional fees are paid directly to the school. We ask that you consult the Balance section of your
powerschool account regularly and make timely payments. Payment can be made in cash, by French
cheque, by wire transfer, or by credit card via Ecole Directe. Wire instructions and Ecole Directe
instructions will be sent in September.
Payments made for tuition, accommodation and vacation homestay programs are made directly to Nacel
separately.
No final school reports are provided to students or schools until all fees are paid.
What to pack
Bring enough clothes (appropriate for school-see handbook) for 2-3 weeks. It will get cold by late October
and the temperature in the winter will be as low as 0° Celsius.
You may need an adapter for your electronics. France uses TYPE E sockets (230 V, 50 Hz). All electronics
must be inspected by the school electrician or dormitory supervisor prior to use in the boarding quarters.
● School backpack ● pens & pencils
● laptop/tablet (required-with updated ● raincoat
anti-virus software) ● running or training sneakers
● bathrobe (required) ● workout clothes (t-shirt, shorts,
● batteries and adaptor for French plugs sweatpants)
for electronic devices ● heavier jacket or winter coat
● calculator (TI-83+, TI-84 or TI-84+) ● scarf, hat & gloves
● camera ● slippers/flip flops for the shower
● copies of important documents ● swimsuit
● English-native language dictionary ● toiletries (just enough to get
● French-English or French-native language started-there’s a grocery store within 1
dictionary block of school)
● medication ● umbrella
● musical instrument ● USB flash drive (minimum 4 GB)
What NOT to pack
● Linens and bedding (they are provided)
● Very valuable clothing.
● Expensive jewelry, handbags, and other accessories.
● More luggage than you can comfortably transport on your own.
● Hair dryer, curling iron or clothing iron. Foreign electronics are often not compatible in
France-even with adapter plugs- and can be purchased locally.
NDIHS Newsletter Summer 2017 DZ/07/2017 3SAT Test center NDIHS becomes a College Board SAT testing center this fall and will be offering the October 2017 and March 2018 SAT exams. The SAT is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States and many international universities. Entering twelfth graders interested in US universities should register for the October exam. Eleventh graders are advised to take the exam in the spring. Registration for the SAT exam is done through College Board exclusively. Registration deadline for the October administration is September 8, 2017. NDIHS will be listed as a Test Center option on the College Board website soon. Lunch Daily lunch in the school cafeteria is included in the tuition and is accessed via students’ cantine cards. Alternatively, the Open cafe is a snack bar that is open both in the morning during the recreation break and at lunchtime. The Open cafe offers snacks, sandwiches and drinks that are not part of the typical lunchtime offering. Payment for the Open cafe is managed by deposits on students’ cantine cards. Deposits can be made in cash in the business office or by credit card via Ecole Directe (see Powerschool fees section above). Dormitory Life Dormitory rooms include a bed, desk, closet, nightstand and sink. Rooms are assigned as doubles by dorm staff. Showers and toilets are communal and there is approximately one shower for every 4 or 5 students on each floor. Dorms are on the 2nd & 3rd floors so plan on climbing three or four flights of stairs. Boys and girls are housed on separate floors but common rooms are open to all students. The main common rooms are open during free time in the evenings and are equipped with a TV, DVD player, games, tables and chairs, and water boiler. A kitchen with refrigerator, stove and microwave oven is available at scheduled times throughout the week and on weekends. Electrical appliances (toasters, coffee makers, electric blankets, refrigerators,etc.) are not permitted in bedrooms. Students are permitted to decorate the walls of their dorm room with posters or pictures but may not use nails or permanent hardware to affix anything to the walls. Patafix is the only adhesive that is permitted for use on dormitory walls. The dormitory is closed and students are not permitted in the dorms between 8h30 and 17h30 on school days. In the event that a student is sick during the day and cannot attend class, the student must report to the infirmary at the time the dormitories close. Laundry is done weekly by an outside laundry service for 7-day boarders and dorm students who stay in host families on the weekend. It is not advised to send any very expensive or delicate clothing to the laundry. There is a dry cleaner in town for these items. Neither the school nor laundry service assume responsibility for lost or damaged clothing. Laundry is billed at an average allowable amount of laundry. Students who exceed the allowed amount may be subject to additional fees. Internet The campus has internet available in the classrooms, library, dormitories, and labs. Students must register their computers with the IT department to access the wifi. All students must bring a laptop or tablet with installed updated antivirus software. NDIHS Newsletter Summer 2017 DZ/07/2017 4
“Bonjour, madame. Bonjour, monsieur.” You have chosen to attend an American high school in France for any number of reasons, presumably not least of which is to gain a deeper appreciation for the French culture. NDIHS is on a large French school campus in a small town in a suburb of Paris. As an ambassador of your country and family and a guest of the French people it is important that you be ready to adapt to your new surroundings; this means making an effort to communicate with and show respect to the people around you including students, teachers and staff. Regardless of the level of French you speak when you arrive, you should be prepared to greet people when you come into contact with them. Small efforts early in your experience here will set the tone for success throughout the year. Spending money Students should be provided with 200-250€ per month in spending money (perhaps more during the vacation periods and the first month for school supplies). Prepaid credit cards that have the option of withdrawing cash is the easiest method of handling spending money. Borrowing money from other students or host families is not permitted. Students should not be provided with an excessive amount of money nor be permitted to make extravagant purchases while at school. All of their basic needs are met while on the program and this will minimize problems with theft. Opening a local bank account is not an option. Credit cards, or debit cards are the most popular way to manage/obtain funds. Be sure to check with your bank and inform them of your travel plans. Card companies and banks may deactivate your card if they see unusual transactions to your account. Do not bring traveler’s checks. You would have a hard time finding a store to take them and banks will not cash them. Cell phones Students must have a cell phone during their stay in France and maintain a minimum credit balance. The following phone providers have reasonable plans: www.free.fr (registering on-line is fast, easy and can be done before arrival.) www.sfr.fr www.orange.fr www.bouyguestelecom.fr Students will be provided with essential phone numbers during orientation. Packages, mail, deliveries Only boarding students are permitted to receive mail at school. Students in host families or local students must use their local home address for all mail. Mail or packages received for non-boarding students will be returned or refused. Be aware that items ordered from outside of France or the EU are subject to customs charges that are not typically communicated at the time of the order. Students are frequently caught by surprise when they are issued a customs charge at the time of delivery. These charges can exceed 50% of the cost of the item purchased. Great care should be taken when ordering online. NDIHS Newsletter Summer 2017 DZ/07/2017 5
Travel opportunities abound during vacations
As you can see from the academic calendar, France has several extended vacations. As the dormitories are
closed during vacations, many students take advantage of this time to return home for the holidays, travel
with family, stay with local host families, or participate in private educational tours or trips.
NACEL offers several fantastic opportunities for language immersion trips during each vacation. These
options will be communicated in early fall. We encourage our students to participate in these tours and
trips in order for them to improve their French or other foreign language skills and to meet other French
teenagers of their age.
Individual arrangements for travel during holidays--Toussaint (Oct-Nov), Christmas (Dec), Winter Break
(Feb), Spring Break (May)-- must be planned well in advance and communicated to Nacel staff as per the
travel policy found on the school website.
Weekend travel off-program
Weekend travel should be rare and is limited to no more than one weekend between each vacation. The
same documentation is required for any off-program travel and must be received by the Nacel office f rom
natural parents only no later than 7 business days before the planned travel. Minor students are not
permitted to travel alone; they must be picked up and dropped off at school by a responsible adult. This
requirement is in place for the safety and security of our students.
Travel tips: health and safety
You should take the same common sense safety precautions abroad that you would at home. Be aware of
your surroundings, keep your valuables concealed, be prudent around strangers, and heed safety advice
from the staff at Notre Dame International High School.
Below are some general tips for staying safe when traveling:
● Photocopy your passport, credit cards, plane tickets, driver’s license, and other important
documents - leave one copy in your dorm room or with your host family and keep another one
with you, separate from the originals.
● On trains, keep bags as close as possible and cell phones out of sight.
● Make sure someone else always knows your itinerary.
● Don’t go anywhere alone.
● Always stay in well-lit and well-traveled places. Don’t take shortcuts through alleys or unsafe areas.
● Make sure you can hear what’s happening around you, especially if you are on the phone or
wearing headphones.
● Stay alert and trust your intuition when you feel you may be in danger. If you feel you may be
getting into an uncomfortable situation, try to get to a safe place as soon as possible.
NDIHS Newsletter Summer 2017 DZ/07/2017 6You can also read
