SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2020
COMMENDED SCHOLARS The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced that two seniors from Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School have been named as "Commended Scholars". Julia Masterson '21 and Megan Panacek '21 are two of approximately 34,000 students nationwide being recognized for their exceptional academic promise and outstanding performances on the PSAT/NMSQT. NOTABLE DATES OCT. 5 29th Annual Golf Classic
OCT. 6 Programming Day, Freshmen Retreat
OCT. 7 Mothers' Club - Mom's Night Out, 7PM
OCT. 14 PSAT/NMSQT
OCT. 19 No Classes
OCT. 28 - Programming Day - Ministry & Service Blood Drive
PROGRAMMING DAY On Tuesday, October 6th we will have our next Programming Day. The 9th grade will be present in-person and will be participating in their Freshmen Retreat (see schedule below). The 10th & 11th grades will be tuning in virtually and will be participating in a presentation on Catholic Mindfulness via Zoom. The presentation will be conducted by Ms. Wilson, Sr. Patti Donlin, and Mrs. Tobias in conjunction with the Counseling Department. This presentation will take place from 8:30 – 10:00 am on Tuesday morning. After the presentation students are free to use the remainder of the day to catch up on school work and plan ahead for next cycle. The 12th grade will be present in-person and will be doing a variety of activities throughout the day. Some seniors will serve as Freshmen Retreat Leaders, some are taking the ACT that morning, and the rest of the class will follow the schedule below. We are looking forward to another fun and informative Programming Day! FRESHMAN RETREAT SCHEDULE
8:20 Report to Assigned Classrooms for Attendance
8:25 – 9:00 Welcome & Opening Prayer
9:00 – 9:45 Ice Breaker Activities
9:45 – 10:45 Activity I – Self-Identity
10:45 – 11:45 Activity II – Moral Identity/Class Identity
11:45 – 12:45 FRESHMEN LUNCH
12:45 – 1:45 Activity III – Mercy Identity
1:45 – 2:10 Letter Writing
2:10 – 2:15 Closing Prayer
2:15 – 3:00 PAL Groups
SENIOR SCHEDULE
8:20 Report to the PAC Attendance
8:30 - 9:00 Voter Registration Project (PAC) Mrs. Battisto & Mrs. Straub
9:00 – 10:00 College Counseling Workshop (PAC) Mrs. Damm, Mrs. Lapp, Mrs. DeCicco
10:00 - 10:45 Letter Writing – www.loveforourelders.org (Gym & Quad)
10:45 – 11:45 SENIOR LUNCH (food available for purchase from Brock)
11:45 – 12:30 Resume Writing & Interview Tips (Gym) Mrs. Guarnaccia **NOTE: BRING A COPY OF YOUR RESUME**
12:30 – 1:15 Minding Your Mind Speaker (Chapel) https://mindingyourmind.org/
1:15 Dismissal
PSAT/NMSQT DAY On Wednesday, October 14, all students in grades 10 and 11 will be taking the PSAT/NMSQT. These students will report to school by 8:15am as usual, and they will be dismissed at 12:30pm. Students in grades 9 and 12 will not have school on October 14. Juniors have already received their practice test booklets and sophomores will receive their practice test booklets this week. Please know that Kahn Academy offers free PSAT practice test materials, along with answer explanations.
On October 14, the freshmen will take a paper and pencil Practice PSAT Test at home. This test for freshmen will not be scored and is purely for practice. All freshmen will receive the answer sheets and practice tests prior to October 14, and will be asked to hold on to their practice test materials and answer sheets until October 28, when the faculty will review test questions and answers with them during our Programming Day.
Just a reminder: Although morning busing will be provided on October 14, there will be no transportation in the afternoon, so please make the necessary arrangements. Also, please note that the cafeteria will not be open that day.
COLLEGE COUNSELING Standardized Testing Program – Recording Available!
We had over 115 families from Gwynedd and La Salle attend our "Admissions Testing 2020 – and the Ongoing Impact of COVID-19" event on Tuesday, September 29th. Matt Steiner from the Compass Education Group presented a rich presentation full of data that reflects the current landscape in higher education. The presentation was relevant to all grade levels—including advice for seniors on how to proceed with testing during this application season and suggested timelines for testing and test prep for sophomores and juniors. Please reach out to our College Counseling office with any questions!
GOOD CITIZEN & ST. TIMOTHY AWARDS Valerie McLaughlin '21 was presented with the Philadelphia Union League's Good Citizenship Award. She was nominated by her church, St. Maria Goretti, as one of the representatives for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. This award recognizes student who demonstrate leadership, citizenship and community involvement. Valerie was also chosen as one of the 2020 recipients of the St. Timothy Award for her church. This is the highest honor given to youth from the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry. Way to go, Valerie!
ACADEMICS
ART Have you stopped to see all of the wonderful artwork in the gold corridor? Art scholars have hung their amazing projects all along the hallway. Next time you're on your way to theology class, take a look!
ENGINEERING Intro to Engineering students had their first day using solid edge cad software from Siemens. They simulated our Gwynedd Mercy touchless keys!
HISTORY Mrs. Battisto's APGOV classes created two bulletin boards last week to kick off election season and earn credit for their College Board Civic Engagement Project. One board encourages voter registration and posts important information for first time voters. The other celebrates our voting rights history, including the ratification of the 15th, 19th, and 26th Amendments as well as passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It is also celebrates the 100 year anniversary of the 19th Amendment, granting voting rights to women. On the October 6 programming day, Seniors will learn more about election deadlines, register to vote if they haven't already done so, discuss information important to first time voters, and start a school wide voter registration contest.
MUSIC The Freshmen Intro to Music students have been learning how to podcast and create ringtones using "Soundtrap", an online collaborative program that teaches audio editing, loops, autotune, music making, and more!
TECHNOLOGY The Freshmen Coding and Robotics students have been using their coding skills to build and program Hummingbird Robots. They started with an alien, but there is more complex work to come. Each student in the class is lent a robotics kit to use at home or at school depending on the day. The girls have been so flexible and imaginative with their remote robots.
ACTIVITIES
CLUB SIGNUPS Club Signups are underway! If you'd like to join a club at Gwynedd, take a look at the document linked below. In the document you will find many videos from club presidents and a sign-up form.
ADVANCEMENT
We hope you can join us for our Gwynedd Mothers' Club Mom's Night Out next week!
L.E.A.D
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL SAVE THE DATES! October 8 - 12, 2020
LEAD Initiatives will be highlighting "International Day of the Girl"
ROCK THE VOTE! LEAD Initiatives Council invites you to vote or learn how to vote! Click on the button below to learn how to set up your voter profile, join Gwynedd's team, and enter your grade into a contest! You don't have to be 18 or older to join. SHE IS THE FUTURE. ©2020 Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School |