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GUIDANCE
Notre Dame High School offers comprehensive guidance services for our students from individual pre-high school informational meetings to college counseling. The Guidance Department works with students, bringing valuable insight and experience to the college counseling process, while guiding them as they transition through high school. Recently the Guidance Department has incorporated utilizing Naviance to assist students with their college preparations. Please scroll to the bottom of the page for details.
Students have easy access to their guidance counselor at Notre Dame - no appointments necessary! Operating on an Open Door Policy, students are welcome to stop by anytime with any questions or concerns that they may have. Our counselors are happy to help students deal with schedule concerns, personal problems, relationship issues with peers or any other problem they may be facing.
The Guidance Department offers annual workshops for parents on College Financial Aid and the College Search Process. Our counselors provide classroom guidance sessions to students, where topics such as study skills, test preparation, career search, and college search are discussed. Students are also scheduled to meet with their counselors in the spring to discuss their plans for the following school year.
Standardized tests are given to all students in grades 9, 10, and 11 each year. Freshmen and Sophomores take the ACT Aspire, which prepares them for the ACT college entrance exam. Juniors take the PSAT which will provide them with good information about preparing for the SATs and enter them into the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test competition.
All upcoming Guidance News and Events are sent to families in the school's weekly update communication. Our counselors are always happy to answer any questions or concerns that parents may have concerning their students, and can be contacted directly by phone or email. ​
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What is a Planned Gift?A planned gift is any major gift made in lifetime or at death as part of a donor’s overall financial and/or estate plan. Planned giving often allows individuals to make larger gifts than they could make from their annual income. By making a planned gift to Notre Dame High School you can make a difference.
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Which Planned Giving Vehicle is Right for You?Not every type of planned gift is right for every donor. It is important that you discuss your ideas with your attorney and/or financial planner. Together we can make the right decision for your circumstances.
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The McAuley Legacy SocietyThe McAuley Legacy Society has been established to recognize those alumni, alumni parents, current parents and friends who have made provisions for Notre Dame in their estate plans, in any form or amount. See the McAuley Legacy Society brochure for additional information.
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GIFTS BY WILLThrough various types of bequests to Notre Dame High School, you may secure a charitable estate-tax deduction for the value of the gift. Best of all, you will know that your generosity will support the mission of the school for years to come. Types of Bequests: Special Bequests are used to make a gift of a specific dollar amount, a specific percentage of assets, or specific assets. Residuary Bequests are used to give all or a portion of the rest, residue, and remainder of your estate after a payment of expense and any specific amounts designated to other beneficiaries. Designating a purpose of a Bequest: Unrestricted Bequests - The most useful type of bequest is unrestricted, allowing the funds to be allocated by Notre Dame High School wherever the need is greatest. Restricted Bequests - You may designate that a bequest support a special purpose that reflects your personal or interest (e.g. scholarships). If you wish to designate a specific purpose, we would be please to provide appropriate language for you to share with your attorney. Alternatively, you may specify the purpose of your bequest in a separate letter of designation to remain on file with the school.
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GIFTS THAT PAY YOU INCOMEDo you want to support Notre Dame High School, but worry about having enough income for yourself and your loved ones? Life-income gifts, such as gift annuities, charitable annuities and charitable remainder trusts, can provide donors with an income stream, significant tax savings, and the satisfaction of supplying the school with vital, long-term resources.
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GIFTS THAT PROTECT YOUR ASSETSA Charitable Lead Trust may appeal to you if you wish to make a gift to Notre Dame High School, but want to retain the property in your family. Payments can be made to the school for a number of years (until the end of your or another’s life) and then the principal is distributed to your heirs.
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GIFTS FROM RETIREMENT PLANSYou may consider using retirement-plan benefits to make a significant gift that will support Notre Dame High School. The cost of your gift to your estate and heirs is often relatively small because of the estate and income–tax treatment of retirement-plan benefits.
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GIFTS OF LIFE INSURANCEYou may consider naming Notre Dame High School as a primary or contingent beneficiary of a life insurance policy.
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GIFTS BY ESTATE NOTEAn estate note is an irrevocable pledge or debt against the donor’s estate.
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DONOR-ADVISED FUNDSMany donors find a donor-advised fund to be an economically attractive alternative to a private foundation and a superior opportunity for their involvement in a long-term charitable giving plan.
Naviance, an online program, is a valuable resource for the Guidance Department. This program has a student interface called Family Connection, which students can use for college and career planning. The guidance department diligently works to incorporate Family Connection into monthly lesson plans with students in grades 9-12.
The Naviance/Family Connection platform allows students to search careers, colleges, and majors, and also houses a variety of other features. In addition to the capabilities on the student end, it provides our department a large variety of reports along with valuable data, and has streamlined our college application process.
Students are strongly encouraged to access the Family Connection component independently to utilize its features to the fullest extent. Students can access their accounts by clicking the link below and using their Notre Dame High School email address for username.
Parents are welcome to access a guest account by following the link above, clicking “I’m a guest” on the right hand side, and using the password “ndhs.”
