The GRACE Annual Report for 2025-26 is now available! Discover our students’ academic achievements, review our goals for the upcoming year, see our vitality statistics, and more. Read now!
Notre Dame of De Pere School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. NDDP provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually. The best way to learn more about NDDP is to visit! Click here to schedule a tour.
The daily life of a 6th grader is awesome. Although it does have some hard transitions from 5th to 6th grade, we have all successfully transitioned! It is awesome being able to get new teachers and have new classes with specialized personnel for each class. It is fun being able to transition from class to class, as it also gives us a chance to see new friends in each class and not have the same people in the same class. It is nice because you can see all of your classmates in a day. Time also flies when you are in middle school. It is the first hour, then all of a sudden it is lunch, then at the end of the day you also get Academic Focus to get your homework done so you don’t have to do so much at home.
All week there are new things to look forward to. Even if it’s a test, it sparks our learning and helps us to be the best students we can be. Every teacher is always willing to help us, and they all understand that transitioning from elementary school to middle school is a huge jump! I don’t think I would have middle school any other way. Plus, 7th and 8th graders are very nice to us and are always helping us in any way possible. Every day is full of fun and learning. Being a sixth grader is awesome here at Notre Dame, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Pray Hard. Work Hard. Dream Big.
Notre Dame of De Pere School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. NDDP provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually. The best way to learn more about NDDP is to visit! Click here to schedule a tour.
A Spoonful of Care: Raiders Serving Our Parish Family
This fall, our NDDP families have the opportunity to support our parishes’ Spoonful of Care Family Project.
Each year, our parish pastoral care ministry prepares and delivers meal care packages to homebound parish families. This year, we’re asking every NDDP grade to help fill the soup pot! It’s a simple way to involve our kids in caring for others right here in our parish family.
Please see the attached flyer for your grade-level ingredient. Collection boxes will be located outside the school office. Middle schoolers and families who are interested in helping cook the soup or coordinating drop off of donations to the parish for service hours should reach out to Amberly Boerschinger at discipleship@saintsdepere.org
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Pray Hard. Work Hard. Dream Big.
Notre Dame of De Pere School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. NDDP provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually. The best way to learn more about NDDP is to visit! Click here to schedule a tour.
We are a little over a month into the school year, and by now, I hope your family is settling into a good rhythm of routines: packing lunches, signing planners, navigating drop-off and pick-up, and everything in between. But here’s another routine worth checking in on:
How is your Sunday Mass attendance routine?
If that question gives you a little gut-check, you’re not alone! Between sports, family activities, and the general busyness of life, it can be easy to let weekend Mass slip down the priority list. Yet, all that hustle doesn’t always bring us the peace, joy, and fulfillment we’re searching for.
In full transparency, 86% of our school families identify as Catholic, and the majority of our remaining families identify with another Christian faith. Those are encouraging numbers, but what does faith look like in practice? Are we making time to prioritize our relationship with God and grow in faith together as a family?
Bishop Ricken has called us to “Reclaim Sunday” as a day of worship, rest, and service, and I’m personally inviting our Notre Dame of De Pere community to embrace this call. Making weekend Mass a priority as a family is an opportunity to step away from the busyness, reconnect with God, and refocus on what matters most. When we make time for Him, we create space to listen, discern His will, and move forward with greater purpose.
Our K–8 students have the opportunity to participate in and pray the Mass together every week at school. Now, let’s work toward carrying that same intentionality into our homes and weekends. Let’s reclaim Sunday as the Lord’s Day and make faith a priority in our family routines!
Introducing Our Weekend Mass Punch Cards!
To support this goal and encourage intentional conversations about faith at home, we are launching weekend Mass punch cards this week. Each student will receive a card to bring home. Here’s how it works:
Attend Mass: Bring your punch card when your family attends a weekend Mass.
Get your card punched: If you attend Mass at St. Francis Xavier or St. Mary, drop your card in the clear box at the Scrip table labeled NDDP Mass Attendance Cards. The parish will punch or initial the card and return it to school for your student before the following weekend.
Attending another church? Simply ask the pastor, deacon, or another minister to initial the punch area on your card. Bringing a pen along may be helpful! If you’re unable to get an initial at church, stop by the school office on Monday morning, and we’ll be happy to sign it.
Earn a NUT card! Once your student fills their punch card, they can turn it in to the school office for a No Uniform Today (NUT) card and receive a new punch card to continue the routine.
Eight weekend Masses will fill a punch card. My hope is that these eight opportunities will become more than just a completed card or a NUT day. I hope they help our families build a lasting habit of worship, strengthen our relationships with God, and create meaningful time together.
Let’s commit to making Sunday about more than the next activity on the calendar. Let’s make it a day to worship, rest, serve, and grow together in faith.
Molly Mares, Principal
Pray Hard. Work Hard. Dream Big.
Notre Dame of De Pere School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. NDDP provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually. The best way to learn more about NDDP is to visit! Click here to schedule a tour.
We are excited to welcome our Grandfriends and other special guests to NDDP on Wednesday, October 21! This is always a special morning for our students as they have the opportunity to share their school and classroom with the important people in their lives.
Schedule:
8:05 a.m. – Doors open
8:30 a.m. – Mass in the gym
Following Mass–10:30 a.m. – Classroom visits
Important Registration Information: Pre-registration is required for all guests, including parents. Registration will remain open until Monday, October 19 at 8:00 a.m.No late registrations will be accepted, so please complete registration before the deadline. https://forms.gle/8n7Foak6YZ7AJxSi7
Thank you for helping us follow the registration and arrival procedures. These processes allow us to welcome our special guests while keeping the event safe, organized, and fun for everyone. We appreciate your partnership in making this a memorable morning for our students and their Grandfriends!
Pray Hard. Work Hard. Dream Big.
Notre Dame of De Pere School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. NDDP provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually. The best way to learn more about NDDP is to visit! Click here to schedule a tour.
Yeehaw! It’s time to saddle up for reading! Our Fall Book Fair, Reading Round Up, is coming to town! Presented by I-55 Books, this is a great way to kick off the school year excited about books. Every purchase helps promote reading at home and in the classroom, and the proceeds go directly back to Notre Dame of De Pere.
Here’s what you need to know:
Dates & Location: The Book Fair will run from Monday, October 5th, through Friday, October 9th. It will be located on the second-floor landing at the top of the learning stairs. The Book Fair hours are 3:00–4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 3:00–4:00 p.m. on Friday.
Shopping Times: Families are welcome to shop together during the after-school hours. Students will also have chances to round up books during lunch and recess.
Payment: Cash or credit card accepted.
Classroom Wish Lists: Shoppers can support their child’s classroom library by purchasing from their teacher’s wish list.
Volunteers Needed: We’re still looking for a few more wranglers to help work the fair. Sign up through TrackItForward, Book Fair – Track It Forward
Round up your readers, and we’ll see you at the Book Fair!
Happy reading,
Mrs. Mares
Notre Dame of De Pere
Pray Hard. Work Hard. Dream Big.
Notre Dame of De Pere School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. NDDP provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually. The best way to learn more about NDDP is to visit! Click here to schedule a tour.
Calling all dogs, cats, and other beloved creatures, great and small! Join us for our annual Pet Blessing on Wednesday, October 1 at 3:05 p.m. on the playground.
We’ll celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with a special blessing for our furry (and perhaps not-so-furry) friends.
Rain plan: We’ll move under the awning at the main entrance on Superior Street.
Bring your pet, bring your family, and come celebrate one of our favorite NDDP traditions. And yes… good behavior is encouraged, but not required.
Pray Hard. Work Hard. Dream Big.
Notre Dame of De Pere School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. NDDP provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually. The best way to learn more about NDDP is to visit! Click here to schedule a tour.
Life as an eighth grader at Notre Dame of De Pere is awesome! I can’t imagine going to any other school. Even before the school year starts, we have the opportunity to pick either art or S.T.R.E.A.M (science, technology, religion, engineering, art, and math) as an elective. The typical classes eighth graders take include: Pre-Algebra, United States history, Earth Science, Spanish, English, Religion, Gym, Health, and Band. While not in class, we enjoy spending time with friends at recess and at lunch.
Some things that make our school unique include weekly Mass and a sense of community. While our school is the biggest GRACE school, everyone knows everyone, and we all treat each other with respect and Catholic values. As an eighth grader, it is finally great to be the oldest in the school. It is amazing that we are able to showcase our leadership skills as we buddy up with younger students during Mass and other important events. We are truly blessed to be a part of this wonderful school community.
Pray Hard. Work Hard. Dream Big.
Notre Dame of De Pere School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. NDDP provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually. The best way to learn more about NDDP is to visit! Click here to schedule a tour.
Happy New School Year—and, for those who celebrate differently, Football Season! This year, our NDDP school-wide theme comes from an unexpected place: football!
During a hectic May, a special package arrived at school from Seattle Seahawks General Manager and NDDP alum John Schneider. Inside were a note and framed photos celebrating his time as a student at Notre Dame of De Pere, including a photo of him in his green-and-gold Raider football uniform. The note included inspiration attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola:
“Pray as if everything depended on God, and work as if everything depended on you.”
That message immediately felt like the perfect theme for our 2026-27 school year: Pray Hard. Work Hard. Dream Big.
This year, we’ll challenge our students and staff to put those words into action—rooting ourselves in faith, working hard in all that we do, and dreaming boldly about the people God is calling us to become.
And because we know a little celebration makes hard work even more fun, we’re kicking off a school-wide pin collection this year! Throughout the year, students will have opportunities to earn special NDDP pins celebrating accomplishments, milestones, and moments that make our school community proud. We can’t wait to see those pins add up—and to celebrate the stories behind each one. The first pins of the year may already be adorning your child’s backpack as a launch of the school year and theme.
Here’s to a year of growing, achieving, celebrating, and living our mission together:
Pray Hard. Work Hard. Dream Big.
Notre Dame of De Pere School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. NDDP provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually. The best way to learn more about NDDP is to visit! Click here to schedule a tour.
Join us on Saturday, September 13, at the 9:00 a.m. Mass at St. Francis Xavier as we bless our NDDP fall athletes and the season ahead! Athletes are invited to wear their team uniforms to Mass. All NDDP athletes are welcome to receive a blessing, including those who are not Catholic. We look forward to celebrating our athletes and asking God’s blessing on their seasons!
Notre Dame of De Pere School is part of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) School System. It is a private Catholic school serving Preschool and Elementary through 8th grade (PK3-8) with open enrollment. NDDP provides an individualized education in a faith-based environment. Each child is supported not only academically, but spiritually. The best way to learn more about NDDP is to visit! Click here to schedule a tour.
Sit. Stay. Be Blessed. 
