THE GMA WAY!

On Monday, January 29, the Science Department is hosting a "CSI Day" sponsored by the Montgomery County Detective Bureau with a special visit from an award-winning K9 from the Abington Police Department.

The day will begin with a student assembly led by Lt. Richard Neilsen, followed by a demonstration with Sgt. Jennifer Doyle and her K9 partner, Bella. The rest of the day will involve demonstrations by our guests, and students will be asked to observe, deduce, and solve crimes during their science periods. Each science room will focus on a different aspect of crime scene investigation including:

• Physics of Car Accidents & Distracted Driving

• Laser Technology to Recreate Crime Scenes

• Fingerprinting and Ballistic Science

• The Bomb Squad and Its Robot

• DNA Fingerprinting

We look forward to extending a warm Mercy welcome to an illustrious team of CSI experts:

• Chief Sam Gallen, P'07, '09, Montgomery County District Attorney's County Detective Bureau
• Chief Lee Benson, P'07, '10, Upper Dublin Township Police
• Chief Paul Kenny, Lower Gwynedd Township Police
• Tom Sullivan, P'13, '15 
  
• Lt. Rich Neilsen and four members of the Montgomery County Detective Bureau
• Sgt. Jen Doyle, Canine Officer, Abington Township

On Tuesday, January 23rd, a group of Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School students along with Mrs. Carty spent the afternoon working with the children at The Hobbit House. The Valie Genuardi Hobbit House is a preschool under the sponsorship of Gwynedd Mercy University's School of Education – a fellow Mercy school!  Our girls worked hard preparing for the visit by choosing a theme – kindness – and a story and craft to complement the theme. Caitlin Fitzpatrick and Julia Koller kicked off the afternoon by reading the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes to the group of 3–5 year old students. 

Then our GMA girls put on a puppet show to help illustrate the theme of kindness. Erin Hahn, Allison Pollick, Annagrace Hansen, Michaela Guerin, and Grace Cassady played the roles of different community members and acted out a skit that was written by the whole group.  The children then broke into three groups and our craft leaders – Ryann Kerr, Kelsey Van Thuyne, Nell Flanigan, and Carly Van Camp - helped the children to create their own compliment postcards so they could carry out a random act of kindness toward a family member, teacher, or friend. The kids really enjoyed the afternoon and our GMA girls worked so well with them. We are looking forward to our next visit on February 20th!   

Special thanks to the students who attended: Julia Koller '19, Caitlin Fitzpatrick '19, Allison Pollick '19, Erin Hahn '19, Annagrace Hansen '19, Grace Cassady '19, Michaela Guerin '19, Ryann Kerr '19, Carly Van Camp '19, Nell Flanigan '19,  and Kelsey Van Thuyne '19

FROM DR. KATHY MYERS, GWYNEDD MUSIC DIRECTOR

Congratulations to Amanda Hornig '18 and Chloe Thum '20, who were accepted to participate in PMEA Region VI Chorus. The girls auditioned last Wednesday evening during the PMEA District 11 Chorus Festival at Spring Ford High School and placed in the top 10 on their voice parts, thus qualifying them for this next level.  The concert will take place in March at Central Bucks High School South.

Please join us in congratulating Amanda and Chloe on their wonderful achievements!  

FINAL REMINDER FOR QUIZZO!

SATURDAY'S BIGGEST PRE-GAME PARTY!

Alumnae, Parents, Faculty and Friends!

All are invited to a fun-filled evening to raise funds for the Alumnae Legacy Scholarship. The ninth annual Quizzo Trivia Night will be held onSaturday, February 3. The game is played in teams of 10 (or less) where each team attempts to answer the most trivia questions correctly. Great raffle items are available and prizes are awarded. All participants must be over 21. For additional information and registration, visit www.gmahs.org/Quizzo.

Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School is excited to extend an amazing opportunity to our students to participate in Cohort #2 of The Coughlin Method, a series of SAT preparation courses.

This program provides a unique and constructive approach to SAT preparation, meant to prepare students for the rigors of complex problems, as well as teach them how to think clearly. In short, The Coughlin Method is a proven preparation method for the SAT and gives students a competitive advantage in the high school and college classroom. 

Parents with questions are welcome to contact Mrs. McGrorty Derstine at kderstine@gmahs.org. Enrollment for this amazing opportunity is available:

SUMMER COLLEGE TOUR

Spots are still available for this summer's college visit tour of Maryland, D. C. and the research triangle! 

• The trip is for current sophomores and juniors to attend from June 10th – 13th, 2018.
• Please review the tour websites below for all of the details on this year's trip: D.C. to the Research Triangle.
• Enroll on the tour website with a $95 deposit by Feb. 9th to hold your place and guarantee the lowest monthly payments!  

PREPARE FOR FUNDING COLLEGE

Registration is now open for an important parent workshop taking place at Gwynedd on the evening of March 14th, 2018 entitled, "The College Funding Coach."  The purpose of this program is for parents to learn strategies for paying for college and ways to make college more affordable.

Registration is required and additional information is provided at:

Bowling with the Girls has been rescheduled for Saturday, February 24 from 4 to 6:30 PM. This outing will be held at Facenda Lanes, 2912 Swede Road, East Norriton.

The cost is $45 for a father daughter combo which includes unlimited bowling, shoe rental and buffet (appetizers and pizza). Sign up below.

UPCOMING MEETING DATES

• Thursday, March 15, 7PM-- Harry's Taproom in Blue Bell
• Thursday, May 17, 5PM-- Volunteer Appreciation Reception at Gwynedd followed by the last meeting of the school year

IMPORTANT DATES

Jan. 29

CSI Day

Jan. 31, 8AM 
President's Tea

Feb. 2

Report cards issued

Feb. 3, 8PM

Quizzo

Feb. 5

Faculty In-service Day

No Classes

Feb. 9

- Summer College Tour Registration Deadline

- George Valentine Auction

Feb. 10

Winter Formal

Feb. 16, 7-9PM 

Tri-M Talent Show

Feb. 19

Presidents' Day- No Classes

Feb. 20

SpeakUp!

Feb. 22

Early Dismissal

Feb. 23

- Deficiencies/Progress Reports Sent

- Mercy Mania/Mingle

Feb. 24

Father Daughter Bowling Outing

Mar. 14

The College Funding Coach

Mar. 29-Apr. 8

Spring Break

Apr. 12

College Fair

Apr. 13

- Sophomore Retreat

- Prom

Apr. 16

National Honor Society Induction

Apr. 20

Mercy Mixer 2.0