Developed in conjunction with the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan.

By 2025, Notre Dame High School will be the center for women’s leadership in Silicon Valley.
The school will be recognized as the model for:

• A robust culture of engagement that supports women’s leadership.
• Women's spiritual leadership in the 21st century.
• A professional learning community that influences women’s leadership.
   

A Notre Dame graduate is a lifelong learner who:

•    Directs her own learning with choices that cultivate her intellectual curiosity.
•    Integrates critical, creative and divergent thinking to construct knowledge.
•    Utilizes a variety of resources and skills with digital fluency to locate, evaluate and synthesize information.
•    Demonstrates collaboration, adaptability and resilience as she encounters real-world problems and generates solutions.

A Notre Dame graduate is a spiritual seeker who:

•    Recognizes the goodness of God in herself, in others and in all of creation.
•    Develops a worldview shaped by the spirituality of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and informed by scripture, Catholic theology and social teachings.
•    Nurtures her spiritual growth and purpose with prayer, liturgy and personal reflection.
•    Fosters human dignity and respect for religious diversity through interfaith dialogue, understanding and partnerships.

A Notre Dame graduate is a justice advocate who:

•    Creates inclusive and meaningful relationships with others through empathy, compassion and solidarity.
•    Engages in community service and stewardship to affect social change.
•    Analyzes complex social justice issues in local, national and world contexts to build perspective and cultural competency.
•    Responds to community needs with personal responsibility, initiative and advocacy.

A Notre Dame graduate is a community leader who:

•    Honors the legacy of women’s leadership and explores her own path to impact.
•    Discerns her passions, gifts and talents to inform her future career and life’s work.
•    Acts ethically, communicates effectively and leads with integrity and confidence.
•    Promotes the common good through service, philanthropy and global citizenship.

Hallmarks are the essential characteristics, values and actions that differentiate a Notre Dame de Namur learning community. The Sisters and the learning communities began to explore the question of what distinguished a Notre Dame de Namur Learning Community in 2003, and seven Hallmarks were developed. Following a communal discernment and revision process, the Hallmarks were updated in 2024.

Hallmark One: We proclaim by our lives even more than by our words that God is good.

• We believe, even in the midst of today's reality, that God is good, and we stand firm in our commitment to honor the goodness in ourselves, in others, and our world. 
• We value life as an ongoing spiritual journey of deepening relationships with God, self, others, and all creation.     
• We make relevant to the life of our Notre Dame learning communities the history of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and the spirituality of St. Julie Billiart, and we allow these to influence our actions in today's world.
• We make decisions respecting and informed by Gospel values and Catholic social teaching and tradition.
• We create policies sensitive to those to whom and with whom we minister, reflecting the mission and values of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

Hallmark Two: We honor the dignity and sacredness of each person.

• We believe each person is created in the image and likeness of God; therefore, we develop and appreciate relationships that respect individual differences.
• We create environments that encourage the development of the whole person.
• We dedicate time, space, and personnel in support of the individual's spiritual and personal journey.

Hallmark Three: We educate for and act on behalf of justice, peace, and care for all creation.

• We educate for justice and take socially responsible actions against injustice and discrimination in all its forms.
• We make decisions by being aware of the effect they will have on the lives of vulnerable persons.
• We ground our actions for justice in the spiritual practice of reflection-action-reflection.
• We live and act with reverence for the earth, putting into practice the principles of Laudato Si’ and Laudate Deum.
• We foster responsible global citizenship and commit ourselves to the practice of dialogue, nonviolence, restorative justice, and peace-making. 
• We strive to be flexible, risk-taking communities that respond to the signs and needs of the times.

Hallmark Four: We commit ourselves to community service.

• We integrate community-based learning experiences into academic curriculum and co-curricular activities, grounding them in the spiritual practice of reflection-action-reflection.
• We strive to respond to the pressing needs of those made poor by unjust systems. 
• We create mutually beneficial partnerships with community agencies as we engage in community service.

Hallmark Five: We embrace the gift of diversity.

• We welcome to our community people of diverse cultures, ethnicities, races, socio-economic circumstances, genders, ages, sexual orientations, and faith traditions.
• We develop inclusive educational programs that expand our knowledge and understanding as we honor and celebrate the diversity in our world.
• We initiate strategies and support services that respect individual learning styles while building each person's self-esteem. 
• We work to reform unjust structures that perpetuate systemic racism and inequality.

Hallmark Six: We create community among those with whom we work and with those we serve.

• We foster a spirit of friendship and belonging, modeled by St. Julie Billiart and Françoise Blin de Bourdon, the co-foundresses of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, as foundational to our learning communities.  
• We value and implement community-building activities, both social and spiritual, to strengthen relationships between and among all members of our communities.
• We design and foster collaborative processes wherever possible, grounding decision-making in active participation and the principle of subsidiarity.
• We commit ourselves to creating just systems and right relationships within our communities.
• We create an atmosphere of trust and collegiality in our communities with open and direct communication in which we hear, see and value all people.

Hallmark Seven: We develop holistic learning communities that educate for life.

• We actively support the education and formation of the whole person, including lifelong intellectual, emotional, spiritual, faith, psychological, and social development.
• We design and implement academically excellent educational experiences.
• We create a student-centered learning environment that promotes critical thinking, intellectual engagement, and understanding of cross-cultural perspectives, using current resources and technologies.  
• We develop self-directed leaders capable of responding to life situations with courage and compassion in a globally and technologically connected world.

Adopted by the Notre Dame High School Board of Directors, October 11, 2022 

At Notre Dame High School, our Catholic identity is rooted in the charism and sponsorship of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. In the 21st century, this identity inspires us to be bold and joyful in proclaiming God’s goodness.

Because we are a Notre Dame Catholic learning community:

• We affirm that each person is created in the image of God and empowered to cultivate their authentic giftedness and leadership.
• We know Jesus, who through his life, death and resurrection, calls us to the Reign of God where all are known and loved.
• We foster inclusive, caring relationships among people of all faiths, cultures, generations and identities.
• We ground ourselves in the spiritual practices of prayer, discernment and dialogue.
• We promote justice, equity and Catholic social teachings through learning experiences of service and advocacy.
• We reflect upon our unique history, urbanism and diversity to inform our perspective and priorities.
• We interpret the vision of St. Julie Billiart and Francoise Blin de Bourdon to educate for life in our contemporary context.

With the Hallmarks of a Notre Dame de Namur Learning Community, we embody this Notre Dame Catholic charism and call in our worldview, commitments and programs.

Adopted by the Notre Dame High School Board of Directors, October 11, 2022

Educational equity means that each student receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential (adapted from National Equity Project).

At Notre Dame San Jose we commit to educational equity for and with students, employees, families, members of our extended community and the Notre Dame High School Board of Directors.

• We affirm that race, gender, class and identity matter in learning spaces.
• We recognize that social factors and structures may hinder the ability for community members to reach their potential.
• We center diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in our institutional decision-making.
• We amplify women’s voices and the voices of those who experience marginalization.
• We allocate resources to create access and opportunity.

The Hallmarks of a Notre Dame de Namur Learning Community, our Catholic identity
and our mission call us to this commitment. This commitment will evolve, as will we.

Read more about our commitment to equity.