PRINCIPLES OF NOTRE DAME EDUCATION
Notre Dame Educational Principles are based on the principle of character formation inherited from St. Julie Billiart, the foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame, handed down for more than two centuries, through the educational expertise of its many members.
PRINCIPLE 1 :CENTERED IN THE GOODNESS OF GOD
To develop a deep faith in God
- Help to develop a deep faith in God and an on-going relationship with him.
- Encourage personal and group prayer to God whom she/he considers to be a loving, caring Father.
- Guide to connect the deep inter-connectedness with God to permeate their daily lives and their interaction with others.
- Accept and respect all religions through dialogue, reading and assimilating values from different scriptures, and participating in and celebrating each others’ festivals.
- Deepen and broaden their religious convictions through Catechism / Moral Science classes skits, the use of audio-visual aids, reflection days, group discussions etc.
PRINCIPLE 2 : THE HUMAN DIGNITY OF EACH PERSON AS AN IMAGE OF GOD
To develop to the full, the God-given potential of each student
- Inclusion of and respect for all ethnic and religious groups disregarding differences such as caste, creed, culture, language, gender, socio-economic status, and intellectual abilities.
- Instill wholesome values, counter to the world’s values of materialism, consumerism, corruption, pollution of environment, wastage of natural resources etc.
- Give opportunities for students to excel and express themselves through speaking, writing, debating, dramatics, elocution, extemporaneous speeches, dance, music, artistic activities as well as scientific and digital experiments.
- Encourage students in their ongoing quest for knowledge through research, reference work, field trips, intensive study, leading to inventions and discovery.
- Inculcation of social virtues such as courtesy, refinement responsibility, honesty, punctuality, obedience, loyalty,diligence, generosity and modesty.
- Expose students to Physical development through athletic exercises, sports, yoga and karate etc.
- Affirmation of each child as being acceptable, good, and loveable.
- Fostering of individual differences that enrich and strengthen others.
PRINCIPLES 3: THE NOTRE DAME EDUCATOR AS A GOSPEL WITNESS
To be effective, charismatic instructor/ conveyers of knowledge and gospel values
- His/her life demonstrates total love of God and compassionate love for all human beings and all nature.
- Relates to God in personal and communal prayer, drawing strength to meet all challenges.
- Lives out his/her vocation vibrantly and joyfully.
- Prepares conscientiously for every class and activity assigned to him/her
- Commits himself/herself constantly to grow in life-giving relationship and be One in Diversity.
- Treats one another with care and compassion without compromising discipline and moral character.
- Cultivates in himself/herself and inculcates in the students a deeper awareness of and appreciation for Nature to responsibly enjoy God`s creation in all its aspects.
- Share the Notre Dame heritage through staff meeting, celebrations, and programmes.
- Taking time to make their teaching environment as meaningful, beautiful, orderly, and clean as possible.
PRINCIPLE 4: AN INTEGRATED EDUCATION FOR TRANSFORMATION
To Make students aware of the complex realities of today`s world and their conscious response to them.
- Provide opportunities for the students to experience solidarity with the poor and needy and an ecological consciousness both locally and globally.
- Incorporate justice, peace and environmental issues within the curriculum.
- Create greater awareness of the inter- connectedness of the human family.
- Teaching critical thinking, leadership, andproblem-solving skills.
- Solving conflicts through the use of meditation, counselling, and special
- Caring for Mother Earth by re-cycling and making wise choices about the use of energy, water and the earth’s resources.
- Guide to acquire the following thinking skills; observing, recording, quoting, illustrating, demonstrating, analyzing, outlining, summarizing, integrating and evaluating.
- Developing pride in the cultural and national heritage of India.