NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL BELMONT

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Thank you for your interest in the Empowered for Success Program at Notre Dame High School.

Students in the Empowered for Success Program at Notre Dame High School are defined as having cognitive, medical, psychological, or physical conditions that may interfere with academic performance. The majority of students who are identified as having learning differences have already been fully documented by appropriate professionals, although a few have Attention Deficit Disorders, visual impairments, auditory impairments, or minor physical barriers. The focus of the Empowered for Success Program is to support students with learning differences throughout high school in order to prepare them to succeed in college and in life.

The Notre Dame High School Empowered for Success Program Program is not a special education program, a "pull-out" or resource program, or a remediation program. Notre Dame does not have a program to meet the needs of students with severe learning disabilities. Instead, we offer an opportunity for a few highly-motivated, intelligent, young women with clearly documented learning differences to enter a school in which the "playing field" will be leveled as much as possible and where they will be challenged to reach their fullest potential.

Each year a limited number of applicants with identified learning differences are accepted into the Freshman Class. Comprehensive documentation, combined with a clear definition of each student's strengths and weaknesses, enables our Admissions Committee to evaluate whether a student will be able to succeed in our academically challenging environment. The Director of the Empowered for Success Program carefully reviews each applicant file to determine if the student meets Notre Dame High School's baseline academic criteria and how well the Empowered for Success Program can adequately serve the applicant. Knowing that report card grades and standardized test scores may not accurately reflect the true potential of a student with learning differences, we place emphasis on teacher recommendations and the interview process. Students who are not accepted into the Empowered for Success Program, but qualify for admission, are placed on a separate waiting list.

The type of student who is best served in Notre Dame High School's Empowered for Success Program can most easily be described as being both gifted and challenged. She must have the ability to complete a rigorous college-preparatory program with no curricular modifications and must be willing to work as hard as is necessary to meet our academic expectations. To succeed she will need to have the full support of her parents, which may include professional tutoring and additional specialized testing. For more information, please download the documentation file highlighted above.

Alison Bianchetti '99
Director of Admissions

Download the Extended Test Time Documentation
Download the Extended Test Time Application

CONTACT INFORMATION

Alison Bianchetti '99
Director of Admissions
650.595.1913 x320
(click to email me)

Nancy Finn
Admissions Assistant
650.595.1913 x315
(click to email me)

Cathy Lewis
Admissions Coordinator
650.595.1913 x310
(click to email me)