SUNDAY, MARCH 7, 2021
COURSE SELECTION 2021-2022 Course selection is an important process undertaken in the spring semester. Given the ongoing circumstances surrounding COVID-19, students will be engaging in this process both in-person and virtually, with as much support as possible from their counselors and teachers. For more detailed information about our virtual course selection process, including a timeline and important points for consideration, please review our COURSE SELECTION DOCUMENT carefully.
As you will see in this document, each student will submit her course selection sheets through Microsoft Forms, and will then schedule an individual meeting with her school counselor either in person or via Microsoft Teams. Additional emails will be sent to students and parents on Friday, March 12, when students will receive the link to their Course Selection Forms, and parents will receive an email from the Counseling Center. We are grateful for everyone's cooperation in this process and look forward to engaging the students in planning for the 2021-2022 academic year!
NOTABLE DATES MAR. 8 - Spring Sports Begin
MAR. 14 Father Daughter Retreat
MAR. 17 Programming Day
MAR. 24 Lenten Prayer Series
PAIS ACCREDITATION This week begins the accreditation review by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS). There are two distinct aspects to the accreditation process: the first focus of independent school accreditation is upon the uniqueness of the school, recognizing its clear commitment to a distinctive mission in all areas of school life; complementary to that is the application of standards of quality to which all member schools are held accountable. In this way, independent school accreditation proceeds on a dual track. The accreditation process begins with a self-study, following an established protocol to examine every aspect of the school, assess compliance with standards, identify strengths and weakness, set priorities, and determine plans for improvement.
FINANCIAL AID - FACTS Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School seeks to provide an affordable Catholic, private, college-preparatory education to all our families. We recognize that the primary responsibility for financing a student's education rests with the family. Because of this, Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School is privileged to offer need-based financial aid to qualifying families who could not otherwise afford to attend.
We are pleased to offer FACTS Payment Plans and Grant & Aid Financial Needs Assessment on the same platform.
Please click below for additional information and to apply online.
ACADEMICS
PRECALCULUS This week, Mrs. May's PreCalculus class completed a lab this week in which they explored exponential growth and decay by measuring the height of the bounces of a bouncing tennis ball.
THEOLOGY The Junior class used the month of February to study the Sisters of Mercy Critical Concern of Anti-Racism. One aspect of that study was to read the 2018 Pastoral Letter against racism "Open Wide Our Hearts - the Enduring Call to Love." The Padlet assignment included: choosing three facts, sharing a concept they believed was important, and sharing a question they had.
ADVANCEMENT
MCAULEY'S PUB NIGHT - THANK YOU! Thanks to the support of our Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School community, McAuley's Pub Night raised $70,000 and the School will receive a $50,000 matching challenge grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation for faculty and student leadership training and a distinguished speaker series on women and leadership to promote "leaders for life."
Although, this year's event was held virtually on Saturday, February 27 we welcomed over 700 alumnae, families and friends who participated on more than 150 trivia teams—a true testimony to our strategic pillar of creating a Lifelong Sisterhood!
Along with the fast pace fun of trivia hosted by McM Entertainment, our committee co-chaired by Ann Fergione, Sandi Pasceri and Michelle Stetler, provided us with pub box fun to host our at home parties, a online auction filled with many Gwynedd Exclusives and a Pot of Gold Raffle.
Our $1,861 Pot of Gold Raffle winner was Dr. Jennifer Peltzer-Jones, the aunt of Brigid Scanlon '23.
Our winning trivia teams were:
Thank you to the generous support of our 31 sponsors. Their support was instrumental in the night's success.
Enjoy the video below, which also includes remarks from Gwynedd's President Denise Corkery Marbach '72, an appearance from GMA's L.E.A.D. team including Jennifer Cervone Guarnaccia '93 and Dr. Karalyn McGrorty Derstine '01, along with photos from McAuley's Pub Night 2020 and alumnae and students visiting Ireland. The Fashion Show committee is hard at work creating and planning for a fabulous spring event under the Big Tent. Committee chairs are looking for volunteers to help. To sign up to volunteer, please use the link below.
COLLEGE COUNSELING
JUNIOR INTERVIEW TIPS Chris Cahill, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission at Fairfield University, presented interview advice to our junior class this week! He covered how interviews fit into holistic admissions, what differentiates college interviews from job interviews and he offered topics that are often asked in college interviews. Juniors will be participating in an Interview Day with our very own alumnae on 3/17 so this was great preparation for this next opportunity!
SCHOLARSHIPS AND OPPORTUNITIES Many organizations have reached out with opportunities for scholarships or summer programs. Click on "view opportunities" to see what we've received so far! This page can be found at any time on the College Counseling page of the school website.
DEIJ
ASSESSMENT OF INCLUSIVITY & MULTICULTURALISM UPDATE Special thanks to everyone who has volunteered to serve on an AIM Discovery Committee the week of March 22nd through March 26th. Thanks to your support, we have far exceeded our goal - over 95 community members have volunteered to share their opinions about Gwynedd through the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice! We will be in contact with everyone soon via e-mail regarding their participation status and assignments.
As you may be aware from our previous AIM posts, AIM is a two-part process. Part 1 consists of the focus group conversations or discovery committees. Part II incorporates the online climate survey which will be sent to all constituents – current students, parents, faculty, staff, Trustees and alumnae ('16-'20). The online climate survey will launch on Wednesday, March 17th and will close on Wednesday, March 31st. All community members should complete the online survey, even if you have participated in a discovery committee. The online climate survey questions are different and this tool allows us to evaluate our school climate as it pertains to inclusivity and multiculturalism in a completely different way.
Please stay tuned for additional information about AIM. In the interim, please contact incusion@gmahs.org if you have any additional questions.
L.E.A.D.
ETHICAL LEADER AWARD
PROGRAMMING DAY On Thursday morning, Lead4Change senior members Gianna Troilo, Ellie Keaton, Lauren Schumacher, and Isabel Llopis sponsored "GMA VOICES". They had alumna and current parent Kate Daniels Imbesi '92 and Mary Pugh Executive, Director of MCAP speak to the junior class regarding human trafficking.
Before the presentation began, Mercy Effect members Maddie Gibson '22, Lyndsey James '21, and Sydney Pasceri '21 shared the importance of facing human trafficking as a global issue. Later in the day, Sydney Pasceri '21 and Megan Panacek '21 helped freshmen students create vision boards.
MINISTRY & SERVICE
FATHER DAUGHTER RETREAT Join us for a casual and interactive Father Daughter Retreat on Sunday, March 14th from 1:30-4pm to help strengthen your relationship with your dad. The high school years can be tough to navigate and having your dad behind you really helps. Deacon Mischler and his daughter will share their experiences and insights and give you time to connect with your own dad. There is no charge for this event and light munchies will be provided. SHE IS THE FUTURE. ©2021 Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School 1345 Sumneytown Pike, PO Box 902 Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437 |