Notre Dame de Sion’s Global Connections

Technology devices have made the world much smaller, and today’s students need skills to work within a more globally connected community. Notre Dame de Sion specializes in that preparation, giving students opportunities for international interactions with their Global Connections focus.

Sion Grade School For Girls and Boys is one of the most diverse private Catholic schools in Kansas City and is part of a global network of 22 schools that share the history and charisma of the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Sion. The Kansas City location is the only Sion school in the United States. As early as age 3, students collaborate and build relationships with students in Brazil, Costa Rica, Australia, and France. Middle school and high school students participate in study tours, international conferences, and exchange programs each year. 

“The Sisters of Sion have always understood the value of diversity in helping students to learn respect for and openness to ‘the other,’” says Annie Riggs, Sion’s mission director and director of international exchanges.“When students engage with students who are different from themselves, they learn the value of diverse perspectives in problem-solving, they learn about themselves as unique individuals and, more importantly, they learn empathy. Our international connections help us to form to nurture students who are open-minded, inclusive communicators.”

Learning a foreign language is one key to being able to work with the global community. At Sion, students begin that formal language study at age 2. French is taught Pre-K through third grade. In fourth grade, students take a semester of French and a semester of Spanish and then choose which track they’d like to follow. For Pre-K through fifth-grade students, Mandarin and Russian also are offered after school.

Putting that language study to work, students at Notre Dame de Sion have multiple opportunities to interact with the global community. In the elementary grades, children participate through pen pals, video chats and visits with exchange students. Amanda Loflin, Sion French teacher, and France exchange coordinator says that even the younger set gets involved: “Our Pre-K students exchange drawings they create!” 

As students get older, travel to build those connections becomes an option. This year, middle schoolers will participate in an exchange with the Sion school in Grenoble, France, from May 24 to June 6. In October, the students from France will come to Kansas City and engage directly with our school community. Sion students also can participate in the Global Youth Conference. Last April, six students attended the conference in Costa Rica. Notre Dame de Sion has petitioned the International Congregation of the Sisters of Sion to host the conference in 2022, hoping to welcome students from around the world to experience the Kansas City community. 

In a rapidly changing global society, Notre Dame de Sion is equipping students to connect and flourish. For more information about Notre Dame de Sion Grade School for Boys and Girls, visit NDSion.edu.

Experience Sion Grade School

Our personalized, one-on-one tour option is designed to accommodate your active lifestyle by tailoring the visit to fit your needs. 

Upcoming 2020 Tour Dates: 

• Feb. 11: 2 years old-4th grade
• Feb. 12: Middle School 5th-8th grade
• Feb. 26: All grades
• Mar. 11: 2 years old-4th grade
• Mar. 12: Middle School 5th-8th grade

Contact Mary Kenney, Director of Grade School Admissions, with any questions at 816.942.3282.