Welcome to Notre Dame!
By Easton McGillicuddy & Katie De Graaf (Grade 12)
Welcome to ND; a school with a cafeteria, a football field and an elevator! All of these our elementary schools didn’t have. Being the size of a shopping mall, Notre Dame can be intimidating for a lot of students. The mix of excitement and nervousness from being at the “bottom of the food chain” as a Grade 9 is a rite of passage; high school acts as a stepping stone bringing you closer to independence. That said, grade nine usually isn’t as scary as people make it out to be. The severance of grade levels doesn’t exist here; we come together for the same clubs, share teachers, and have gone through the same classes. We build each other up, instead of competing for the top. While our nerves can get the best of us, preparation can go a long way. Try finding all of the essentials you’ll need in advance-by following @insidend.ca for school updates, using the maps posted online to find the doors you’re heading into, or most importantly, knowing the wifi password. Being prepared allows you to feel confident, so you can enjoy your transition into the school. However, there will be situations where you need help-please, ask! We know you want to seem like you have it all figured out-honestly, so do we-but being able to admit to that vulnerability is 100% more mature. Coming from two people older (but not necessarily wiser) than you, you’ll need advice regardless of grade level! Vertical Divider
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Notre Dame's Grade 9 HandbookBelow are some sample pages from the Notre Dame Grade 9 Handbook, prepared by Student Success Teacher Ms. Sneyd.
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There are so many ways to get help within the school. Guidance and their online events can answer questions about courses, workload and the future! Questions about a specific class? I promise, your teachers aren’t scary- they want to give you the mark you’re looking for. Not sure what to do or where to go? The Prefects are easy to identify in their blue shirts, but the kindness in this school community doesn’t change based on the shirt we wear.
As you enter the school, you may be quieter than usual, because it’s a bigger school environment. You may be more outgoing based on the encouragement you feel. Just know, there’s a place for you here! High school is often a time for personal growth, however don’t feel like you need to define yourself by the end of this year. As said above, no one really has it all figured out, even 4 years later. You may think you will, but read this again then and you’ll see what we mean.
By the time you leave ND, you’ll be a completely different person than who entered those same doors, and this change applies to all your current friends. No matter what happens, there are so many like minded people here you are yet to meet. The people we are leaving with certainly aren’t the people we knew going in-but now, we wouldn’t change a thing.
As you enter the school, you may be quieter than usual, because it’s a bigger school environment. You may be more outgoing based on the encouragement you feel. Just know, there’s a place for you here! High school is often a time for personal growth, however don’t feel like you need to define yourself by the end of this year. As said above, no one really has it all figured out, even 4 years later. You may think you will, but read this again then and you’ll see what we mean.
By the time you leave ND, you’ll be a completely different person than who entered those same doors, and this change applies to all your current friends. No matter what happens, there are so many like minded people here you are yet to meet. The people we are leaving with certainly aren’t the people we knew going in-but now, we wouldn’t change a thing.
Clubs are a great way to express your passions. Most grade nine and ten courses are mandatory, but clubs can determine what you’ll take in the future! Try Culinary Club before taking the course in Grade 10. Join STEAM and try out physics labs before Grade 11. Join Make it Happen before taking ‘Challenge and Change’. Extracurricular experiences allow you to do what you enjoy in an environment where you aren’t marked. You’ll often be told to “study what you love”. You may already know what that is, and can join clubs relating to it, or you can explore a vast variety to discover it! We both write for InsideND, but Katie also enjoys Drama, while Easton loves Chess. Clubs aren’t running right now, but you can check out what’s typically offered on ND’s school website (search club directory).
Overall, there’s something for everyone here, and by being true to who you are, you’ll make friends who appreciate the unique aspects of you. Notre Dame will support you regardless of your future endeavors, so please, enjoy the ride. A pandemic during your first year certainly isn’t something that was expected, or provides the best experience, but please hold onto the potential this school has to offer. In those future years, you’ll begin to understand why we don’t want to leave. For now, mask up, enjoy #NDThumbs, and welcome to the Irish Community!
Overall, there’s something for everyone here, and by being true to who you are, you’ll make friends who appreciate the unique aspects of you. Notre Dame will support you regardless of your future endeavors, so please, enjoy the ride. A pandemic during your first year certainly isn’t something that was expected, or provides the best experience, but please hold onto the potential this school has to offer. In those future years, you’ll begin to understand why we don’t want to leave. For now, mask up, enjoy #NDThumbs, and welcome to the Irish Community!
Grade 9 Transition Tips
Featuring, the ND PREFECTS!
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