Leading with Compassion... Listen, Learn, Love.

Sion Students are their Brother's Keepers

The Notre Dame de Sion School community has a deep commitment to character education for all students. We value empathy, compassion, and respect, which arise from an innate sense of caring for each other, the world, and a sense of responsibility to mankind. The Sion mission and our Catholic social teaching signature program provide the foundation through which Sion students are instinctively guided to act with integrity and honesty, serve others, as well as take responsibility for their actions and consequences. 

Making Caring Common at Sion

From early childhood to middle school, Sion teachers will purposefully integrate character development across the curriculum and student life throughout the school year. In addition, we will continue using initiatives that reinforce kindness, respect, and compassion throughout the school year.

​Pledge of Kindness

Building from the social-emotional learning skills acquired from last year's sessions with Mrs. Berger, and in alignment with this year's school theme of Leading with Compassion: Listen, Learn, Love", as well as the Sion mission and Catholic Social Teaching, Valuing the Life and Honoring the Dignity of Each Human Person, all students will take a pledge of kindness to one another in the month of October. In this manner, they will vow to be their brother's keepers by bringing compassion to our school and respect for one another. 

Kindness Challenge Weeks

Throughout the school year, the Sion community will participate in kindness challenge weeks to show our appreciation and respect for one another, others, and our surroundings. Our first Kindness Challenge Week will take place during Spirit Week (October 2-6), as we join Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. Students will engage in different age-appropriate activities in which they will display different acts of kindness as follows:

• Monday (10/2): Kindness to Those in Need
  • One of the best way to learn about kindness and compassion is to experience the joy of serving others, in particular, those in need. In addition to our student-led natural disaster donation drive, students will also have the opportunity to show their support for others via drawings, cards, notes, and videos among others.
• Tuesday (10/3): Kindness to Each Other
  • ​Students will leave a kind note, make a drawing, read a story about kindness and carry out other activities to express their appreciation for their Sion peers, teachers and staff, families. 
• Wednesday (10/4): Kindness to the Environment
  • ​We will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi during Mass (9:45 am). Students will engage in service projects for our school campus during the school day, and Eco Elvis will perform during lunch periods.
• Thursday (10/5): Kindness to Animals
  • ​​​Students will learn about kindness and empathy while engaging in activities that promote compassion towards animals as well as ways to treat them with care, love, and respect.
• Friday (10/6): Kindness to Ourselves
  • Self-compassion and self-kindness are key to resilience and empowerment. Students will take some time to do an activity they love (reading, listening to music, mindfulness, drawing, coloring, painting, etc.) and create kindness affirmation videos or letters with their teachers. 

Caring Advisories

Students in grades 4-8 will also participate in advisory seminars using resources from the Making Caring Common Project from Harvard University, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, and others on the month of October by grade levels, and an additional seminar during the spring semester. Likewise, students in grades Pre-K-3 will continue to provide lessons which focus on kindness and compassion. 

Schools of Character

To further affirm and support our commitment to helping students become their brother's keepers, Notre Dame de Sion School will be submitting an application this year to become recognized as a School of Character, and an application to the Caring Schools Program from Harvard University in the 2018-2019 school year, when they will be receiving new applications. The Making Caring Common Project also offers resources available for parents.

Spotlight: New at Sion

Art Studio

Visit Sion's new K-8 Studio Art site, which can be accessed via OnCampus, our new learning management system. This site provides information about Mrs. Teasley's art class: the Art Studio habits of mind, art techniques learned in the classroom, student work, artists of the month, and much more!

Digital Citizenship, Literacy & Research

Mr. McFarland is offering a new class for students in grades 4 and 5 based on the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards, to help them acquire the necessary skills to thrive in a constantly changing technological landscape in a responsible and safe manner. In addition, it will prepare students to be effective producers of technology.

Innovation, Literacy & Research Centers

Mr. Kaspyzk and Mrs. Nelson exchanged rooms during the summer to support our continuous improvement efforts to provide a literacy and STEAM-based curriculum with a makerspace environment for all students, while continue building their literacy and research skills. Students are given the opportunity to apply their design and critical thinking skills to become innovators as they explore areas of interest through Pre-K-3 STEAM classes, K-8 Robotics, 6-8 Innovation, Design, and Modeling, Library, as well as after school enrichment classes.

Fitness & Health

Mr. Fowler  has been redesigning the Fitness & Health curriculum to offer K-8 students a rotation of fitness classes and teams sport experience to enhance the physical education experience, and working with Mrs. George to teach students health on a quarterly basis. Likewise, he has started implementing a standards-based learning and assessment approach, which allows for personalizing the experience to each individual student's needs and interests.