Elementary
Roundup:
Rock-tober!
The culture here at Notre Dame is the cornerstone of what makes this school great. And October was a fun-filled month for the students at the Lower Campus
The return of Pumpkins & Pizza was enthusiastically received at Notre Dame Catholic School. P-Squared, as it was also known, was a time for ND families to gather in the school cafeteria with their costumed children in tow, just in time for the Halloween season. This year, after a brief absence from the school calendar in recent years, the event returned with a bit of an update. P-2 was held outside in the high school back circle, and featured costume contests, pumpkin decorating, Mr. Ledesma in the dunk tank and of course lots and lots of slices of pizza.
Golden Shoe Day is a day at the Elementary school where each of the Elementary grades get to compete with each other for the Golden Shoe, a locally donated athletic cleat made gold by some of the faculty. The students can invite multiple family members to compete with them. I caught up with Mrs.Cluley, the woman who has ran the event for over 21 years, to talk about the benefits and events at the competition. Mrs.Cluely says that the event is a great way for the students to get outside, exercise, and have fun with their families. She says Golden Shoe adds to the sense of local community at Notre Dame, and she loves the generations of families getting together and spending time with one another. Mrs.Cluely says that Golden Shoe Day was inspired by multiple people and she has been running it for all of the 21 years it has been around.
Each year the elementary celebrates the 50th day of school with a 1950’s style sock hop ran by Mrs.Cluely, this event features dancing, food, and music all 50’s themed. I caught up with second-year kindergarten teacher Mrs.Gugtsell about her experiences at the sock hop. She says “The sock hop a very special day where we celebrate the 50th day of school… Mrs.Cluely does an excellent job teaching the students about the culture and all things fifties.” Mrs.Gugtsell says that the sock hop is what her students definitely look forward to the most each year. When asked what her favorite sock hop memory so far was, she said, “My favorite sock hop memory was when we took all the kids to Brahm’s ice cream shop to get milkshakes with their families, friends, and other members of the Notre Dame community.
Continued on Pg. 8