The Mount Notre Dame English Department curriculum is intended to encourage the development of practical, imaginative, collaborative, cognitive and affective skills. Based on the language arts model of reading, writing, research, grammar, communication and vocabulary study, it attempts to enrich the lives of Mount Notre Dame students by empowering them to:

• read, research, write, and think critically
• communicate effectively and gracefully in written and spoken language
• appreciate their literary heritage
• develop skills for independent, lifelong learning
• honor their Christian responsibility and connectedness to humanity

Courses: English I, English II, British Literature, AP Language and Composition, AP Literature, Contemporary Literature, American Short Story and Film, Public Speaking, CCP Public Speaking, Academic Transitions, and Creative Writing I and II.

Mount Notre Dame’s Visual Arts Department instructs students in the production of visual art. Emphasizing creative thinking governed by a strong sense of aesthetics and good design, students are challenged to develop intellectually and emotionally through their artwork. MND’s Visual Arts curriculum enables students to create, encouraging the development of a personal voice. MND’s Visual Arts Department offers a variety of classes, which engage the student in a variety of art-related experiences and techniques. The Visual Arts Department also strives to promote an understanding of the arts of the past as well as the role and responsibility of the art maker in society today.

MND’s visual arts program:

• MND offers a wide variety of art making experiences
• Provides a strong foundation based on the Elements and Principles of Design
• Encourages a high standard of craftsmanship
• Develops self-confidence, as students are challenged to think about the personal statement her work makes and the impact her work has on the MND community and the community at large
• Helps students gain an appreciation for the value of art while exploring the creative process
• Encourages students to use the available technology, where appropriate, and to create and manipulate artwork, as well as to document and manage their own personal digital portfolio

Courses: Art Foundations, Art Studio 2 & 3, Art Portfolio Prep, AP Studio Art: 2D, AP Studio Art: 3D, AP Studio Art: Drawing, Art Practicum (Ceramics), Calligraphy I, Ceramics I and II, Digital Photography and Imagery, Fibers I, Jewelry & Metal Design, Photography I and II,  and Printmaking

The Information Technology & Business Department at Mount Notre Dame prepares students with the necessary skills for full participation in the constantly changing and multi-faceted business leadership community that is shaping the world’s environment.

Required Course: Technology Literacy

Electives: Business Analytics, Business Organization and Management, Business Principles, Marketing Principles, Entrepreneurship, and Yearbook

Unique Opportunities: IT Conferences, IT Professional Career Day, IT Summer Internships and Local Business field trips.

The Intervention Department at Mount Notre Dame is committed to helping our students develop the necessary skills to achieve academic success. We strive to meet the diverse needs of our students by teaching students strategies to compensate for their weaknesses, working with teachers in accommodating students with special needs, and helping students learn the skills needed in order to pursue post-secondary education.

The Mathematics Department at Mount Notre Dame is committed to helping each student develop her mathematical aptitude to its highest potential. Furthermore, we strive to view and present mathematics as both an art and a science, while blending applications with theory.

We endeavor to:

• Model enthusiasm for mathematics to our students on a daily basis, encourage the lifelong pursuit of mathematics and inspire students to follow their natural curiosity within this field of study
• Reach all students at their mathematics ability level, help them discover their potential for future mathematical learning, assist them as they work to meet their mathematical goals and build a sense of confidence in their skills
• Foster critical thinking and problem solving abilities so that students can solve unique problems while being able to explain their thought processes, using correct mathematical terminology in both written and spoken forms
• Integrate the appropriate use of the graphing calculator, dynamic mathematics software and online resources throughout the curriculum while teaching students to recognize and utilize the power of these tools in appropriate situations
• Ensure that students have mastered the necessary skills to complete future college-level mathematics courses as well as apply mathematics concepts in real-world situations and other academic disciplines

Courses: Algebra I and II, Geometry, Functions and Trigonometry, Precalculus, Calculus, AP Calculus AB & BC, Game Theory & Discrete Math, Statistics, AP Statistics, Introduction to Algorithms & Coding, and College Algebra with Finance

Mathematical Opportunities at MND

• Geometry and Precalculus are offered in summer sessions for qualified students who wish to accelerate their math sequence and opportunities.
•  Students may join Mu Alpha Theta – a national mathematical organization and honor society – which aims to empower young high school women in the study and enjoyment of mathematics and to encourage creative thought through the application of thinking “outside the box.” Membership is by application. Full members must have completed four semesters of college prep mathematics, and are enrolled in a fifth semester. Associate members must have completed two semesters of college prep mathematics and are enrolled in a third. Members must maintain a 90% cumulative average in mathematics.
•  Students may participate in math competitions including AMC 10/12 contest, UC Math Bowl, and the OCTM contest through Mu Alpha Theta.

CLICK HERE for Graphing Calculator Information.

The Mount Notre Dame Ministry & Religious Studies Department believes in educating students to the Goodness of God.

• We believe each student is a reflection of God’s Goodness.
• We believe each student is called to pray, to learn, and to serve others.
• We believe each student is a vital part of St. Julie Billiart’s vision and of the SND Global Mission. As such, she will learn the history, challenges, and teachings of the Sisters of Notre Dame and of the Catholic Church.
• We believe each student can have a close relationship with Jesus as rooted in Sacred Scripture.
• We believe each student will learn to “act with justice, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with God.” (Micah 6:8)

Required courses: Faith and Foundations, Hebrew Scriptures, Christology, Church History, Morality and Catholic Ethics and Catholic Lifestyles.

Electives: Comparative World Religions, Death to Life, Media and Values, Social Justice, and Prayer and Spirituality.

Mount Notre Dame’s Physical Education and Health Department strives to provide students with the opportunity to reflect and enhance their personal development skills, social development skills and physical capabilities while developing concepts and values pertinent to healthy living, including:

• Providing students with pursuits of team, recreational and leisure time activities that foster and enhance healthful living habits and sound attitudes of mental, social, emotional and physical well-being;
• Providing students with coursework that is individualized and allows them to develop and maintain components of their personal fitness that can bestow the basis for a lifetime of fitness and exercise;
• Providing a firm foundation of health knowledge, attitudes and practices and providing opportunities to improve the student’s capacity for continued growth, reverence for life, respect for one’s body and concern for one’s well-being and that of others.

Courses: Fitness and Lifetime Sports, Fitness and Team Sports, Fitness for Health and Sports Performance, Workouts for Wellness, Health, and Women’s Health

Throughout the science curriculum, we empower our students to critically evaluate the phenomenon of the biological and physical world and to interact and impact their world. We strengthen and improve our students’ abilities as they learn to incorporate verbal and technical skills when communicating their ideas.

The Mount Notre Dame Science Department:

• Inspires intellectual curiosity and original thought while applying scientific processes to problem solving
• Includes opportunities for our students to use “state-of-the-art” technology and lab equipment
• Builds confidence in a changing world where new ethical questions will be confronted on a regular basis
• Enhances the overall secondary education experience as our students acquire the tools of inductive-deductive reasoning and scientific methodology

Courses: Biology, AP Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, Anatomy and Physiology CCP, Environmental Science, Integrated Science, Chemistry, AP Chemistry, Physics, AP Physics, Introduction to 3D Modeling, Engineering Foundations, Forensic Science, Foundations of Engineering Design Thinking I CCP, Graphical User Interface Design, Laboratory Practicum.

Unique Opportunities: Caring for Our Watershed Competition, Women in STEM Seminars, Science Club, Partnering with Local Engineering Firms, Beacon Cadaver Surgeries, Children’s Hospital Science Symposium, TAPMD

The Mount Notre Dame Social Studies Department belief is that MND graduates will view themselves as Christian women whose lives take them beyond their own country and culture in a global society. Our objective is to teach young women to think critically and analytically, and to provide them with the concepts and models of inquiry used in history and the social sciences.

The Social Studies Department has long committed itself to offering a diverse curriculum for all levels with core courses in:

• Global Perspectives
• United States History
• World History
• Government
• Economics & Personal Finance

Courses: Economics & Personal Finance, Global Perspectives, US History, World History, US Government, Discovering Local History, History of the Sixties, Introduction to Philosophy, Law and Justice, Psychology and The Victorian Period.

Students may take college credit courses all four years that include:

• Human Geography
• United States History
• World History
• Psychology
• United States Government and Politics
• European History

Our award-winning Performing Arts Department spans a curriculum that offers numerous performing opportunities with multiple choirs (including Show Choir), Band (marching and concert), Film and Dramatic arts as well as private voice and piano lessons. All classes offered by the department meet students need for one (1) Fine Arts credit before graduation.

We are committed to assisting students as they develop their performance skills to their highest potential by:

• Fostering creativity and confidence through performance
• Developing students’ musical, performance and technical skills
• Building awareness and appreciation of the performing arts
• Providing a foundation for further development in the performing arts

For more information about Dramatic Arts or Film History, please contact Mr. Kyle Imbronyev at kimbronyev@mndhs.org.

For more information regarding the Moeller/MND Band, please visit the Band Webpage, or contact director Mr. Paul Kindt at pkindt@moeller.org

For more information about the Jubilation Show Choir, or our Chorus, please contact director Mrs. Elizabeth Venia at evenia@mndhs.org.

Courses: Chorus, Jubilation Show Choir, Band (Marching/Concert), Music Theory, Dramatic Arts, Advanced Dramatic Arts, Film History, Music of Broadway, and Private Lessons (Piano and Vocal).

The Mount Notre Dame World Languages Department challenges our students to acquire mastery of their target language. The approach at each level includes a four-pronged focus on the key elements of language mastery:

• listening comprehension
• verbal communication
• reading
• writing

In addition to the language curriculum, students will develop an understanding of and appreciation for the global society in which we live. The World Languages Department invites students to extend the academic and cultural classroom experience to their families and communities through service projects, travel opportunities, club activities, and daily life experiences.

Required Courses: Two units of the same world language

Courses: French I-IV, Honors French V, AP French Language, Practicum in French, Latin I-IV, AP Latin, Beginning Spanish Part 1 & 2, Spanish I-IV, Spanish V Conversation, Culture and Film, AP Spanish Language, Practicum in Spanish.

Unique Opportunities for academic and cultural experiences include: National French Exam, Spanish Exchange Program, Spanish IV Cultural Service Component, French Exchange Program, Model United Nations Trip Abroad