Gwynedd's 2019 Mission Week will be held March 11-15, and will provide an opportunity for our entire school community to engage in presentations, activities and conversations about our Mission as a Catholic and Mercy community.

Special Event on March 11

We are pleased and humbled to announce that the week will begin with the arrival of a very special guest, Sr. Marilyn Lacey, RSM. She is the founder and executive director of Mercy Beyond Borders, an organization that brings hope to more than 1,400 women and girls by providing educational, economic, and empowerment opportunities where there are few options to escape extreme poverty.

Sr. Marilyn is also the author of This Flowing Toward Me; A Story of God Arriving in Strangers and was named a 2017 Opus Prize Laureate.

All members of our community are invited to an evening event on Monday, March 11 from 6:30-8PM in the Performing Arts Center consisting of a presentation and panel discussion.

MERCY RETREAT

All parents (past and current), alums, and faculty/staff of our Mercy school communities are invited to participate in an engaging six-week, guided prayer experience designed for small groups and modeled on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

The program is designed to:

• Foster spiritual renewal in the Catholic Tradition
• Empower individuals to encounter God in everyday life
• Deepen and share faith
• Connect faith and action

Meetings will be held weekly from 6:30-8:00PM, six consecutive weeks in Lent, beginning March 4, at two different locations:

Merion Mercy Academy
Mondays, March 4-April 8

Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School
Tuesdays, March 5-April 9

Program Fee: $20.00

For more information and to register, please click below:

Availability is limited. Registration is required by Friday, March 1, 2019.

Register

MERCY GIRL RISING

It was a morning of smiles, squeals, and delight as Gwynedd hosted a Bibbidi Bobbidi Breakfast to benefit the Mercy Girl Effect. The red and gold corridors welcomed more than 100 princes and princesses and their royal families for sweet treats, crafts, fun with friends, and the royal treatment.

All proceeds will benefit Mercy Girl Effect's goal of rebuilding a medical clinic in Gros Morne, Haiti which was destroyed by an earthquake. Special thanks to Mrs. Cymerman, Dr. Derstine, Sr. Christi and all of the club's students who brought this magical event to life. In the words of Sr. Christi, "What all of you did was totally MERCY, totally magnificent, and totally fun! We (Catherine included) see that the endless tradition of Mercy Service is continuing uninterrupted into the third millennium."

VARSITY BASKETBALL SERVICE DAY

GMA Varsity Basketball Team spent President's Day volunteering at Face to Face Soup Kitchen in Germantown.

CPR 'In School' KIT

The American Heart Association recently launched an initiative which allows our individual donors to personally support the American Heart Association and make a direct local impact in the community.

Thanks to the generosity of the Sullivan Family, GMA has been gifted a 'CPR in Schools' kit to train students in the life-saving skill of CPR.

Phys. Ed. Faculty member, Mrs. Tobias, is pleased that this kit will help enhance the CPR training for Gwynedd students. We look forward to welcoming Ellie '23 and Kiki '23 to Gwynedd's red and gold corridors in the fall! Proudly, their younger sister Shea introduced herself as a member of the class of 2026!

Pictured left to right: Emily Fiore and Jennifer Davis of the AHA, Denise Marbach, and the Sullivan Family

WEATHER EMERGENCY REMINDERS

If a weather emergency occurs during the school day leading to an early dismissal, GMA will announce an official dismissal time while also responding to the dismissal times of individual districts. If an individual school district calls an earlier dismissal than ours we will allow both drivers and those taking the bus to leave at the corresponding time. The remaining student body will be dismissed at the official GMA time.

If you choose to pick your child up before the official GMA dismissal time you may sign your daughter out at the front desk. Please be reminded that you must come in the building to get your daughter at the front desk if it is before the official GMA dismissal time. Also, you will need to park in the parking lot. The front of the school building must be kept clear for bus dismissals and the Circle of Mercy should only be used if you are picking up at the official dismissal time.

PLEASE NOTE:
Reminders about 2 hour delays, school closings and school districts:

Students should follow their corresponding school district procedures.

School Closings: If the school district providing student busing is closed and Gwynedd Mercy Academy is open, students will have an excused absence from school.

2-Hour Delay: If the school district providing student busing is operating on a 2-Hour Delay and Gwynedd is open, student lateness will be excused.

Alternatively, if Gwynedd operates on a 2-Hour delay and the corresponding district operates at their regular time, the building will be open at 7:30 AM and students should go directly to the cafeteria until 9:00 AM.

Demystifying College Admissions Testing

(10th, 11th Grade Parents/Guardians and Students)

Wednesday, March 27th at 7:00pm

Please join us on Wednesday, March 27th at 7:00pm for a night about college admissions testing presented by Daniel Ascher, M.Ed., President of A+ Test Prep and Tutoring. The program will cover everything you need to know about college admissions exams -- PSAT, SAT, ACT, AP, and more. This event is geared for 10th grade families but 11th grade families are welcome to attend if they would like to learn more!

Registration

STUDENTS AND STUDIES

HONORING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Sr. Patti Donlin introduced the Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy and had students read Blog posts on the Sisters of Mercy website.

Some of the students had this to say after reading blogs on Anti-Racism:

"Everyone is challenged to bring love into places that have hate and exclusion in them. Many people think that they can see an end to racism in their lifetime. Silence will not help this issue, we need to use love and nonviolence to disarm the hatred from others."

-Alden Boccella '20

"I learned that even the most highly ranked clergymen still make mistakes and forget key aspects of certain topics. (White privilege in the pastoral letter Open Wide Our Hearts.) It further pushed me to learn more about racism and how important white privilege is to talk about. Racism is a very common act in today's world and this blog gave me a further insight into the church's take on it which has further helped my take on racism in the world today."

-Meaghan McGoldrick '20

Mrs. Naucodie's classes explored and discussed Black mathematicians who have made a real difference in the world of math.

SCIENCE

The Forensic Science classes performed blood pattern analysis in lab this week. The students interpreted bloodstains that they produced by changing velocity, release height, angle of impact, and whether an assailant is right- or left-handed.

No persons or animals were harmed – the blood was fake, but the results were real!

HONORS ALGEBRA 2

Students in Mrs. Carberry's Honors Algebra 2 completed sweet exercise this week! Using Skittles, the ladies modeled exponential growth and decay as an introduction to exponential functions.

HONORS ART STUDIO 3

Honors Art Studio 3 students spent a block period casting their faces with plaster. This is a continuation of their study of the figure as a historical genre of art. These portrait casts will be creatively transformed into contemporary masks with mixed media that represent individual expression.

Masks have played an important artistic role in the history of human sociology. Masks have existed in every culture with various spiritual, religious, celebratory, and entertaining purpose and significance. The human face is one of the most captivating subjects in art. People cannot resist looking at other people. Masks inspire thought and reflection about the self, others, and community because they represent transformation, disguise, symbolism, and emotion in visual communication.

Nell Flanigan' 19 is the artist and Ella Fall '20 is the model.

HONORS WORLD CULTURES

This week students in Mrs. Steiert and Mrs. Battisto's Honors World Cultures class engaged with religions of the world visually while participating in a gallery walk.

Over twenty pictures of sacred places, religious ceremonies, and spiritual icons were available, and students wrote down impressions, questions, and thoughts each picture inspired. Set to the tunes of "Dance Dance Revolution" as physical education took place across the hall in the gym, students made insightful observations while enjoying a lesson outside the classroom.

MUSIC

Voices of the Future- performance and Master Class with Metropolitan Opera mezzo, Sharon Sweet.

Chloe Thum '20, was one of 4 finalists who performed on Saturday, February 23rd. The Competition was sponsored by the Bucks County Choral Society and was held at The Conservatory, Doylestown. Each of the candidates received valuable comments from Ms. Sweet who is a voice professor at Westminster College in Princeton as well as a cash prize.

Congratulations Chloe!

Seniors Mary Conn and Caitlin Fitzpatrick combined their passion for music and their technology expertise to create a TechShop for the amazing non-profit organization, TechGirlz^®"Remix-U: Unleashing Your Inner DJ" will be offered on the GMAHS Campus, March 9, 2019 from 9:00 am to Noon.

The TechShop is offered exclusively for middle school girls interested in expanding their knowledge in STEM subjects. You are welcome to review the TechShop description developed by the ladies, and feel free to share the link with family and friends. The TechShop is open to girls in grades 5-8 only.

TechShop Details

ATHLETICS

VARSITY BASKETBALL

GMAHS Basketball repeats as D1 4A Champions with a 46-33 win over Lower Moreland!
The team advances to the State PIAA 4A Tournament on Saturday, March 9th.

Senior Captains Alyssa Martin and Carly Bachinsky celebrate the win!

WAY TO GO MONARCHS!!

SWIMMING

Congratulations and Good Luck to our Swim Team who will compete in the District 1 2A Championship Meet on Friday, 3/1 and Saturday, 3/2 at LaSalle University. Spectators will be admitted both days at 9AM.

SPRING SPORTS REGISTRATION

Registration for spring sports is now open! The deadline to complete registration is Friday, March 1, 2019. Please click below for more registration details.

FamilyID Registration

Concussion testing dates:

February 14: Softball

February 21: Lacrosse, Pole Vault, & High Jump

February 25: Make up date

Please sign up for an appointment on your assigned date with the link below:

Sign Up

Contact Lynnann Sullivan with any questions at: athletictrainer@gmahs.org.

EITC PROGRAM

Turn Your Tax Dollars into Financial Aid for Gwynedd Girls

Did you know you can direct your personal/business PA state tax liability to Gwynedd in the form of need-based scholarships for students?

Ask your accountant about the PA Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program when completing your tax return this year, and contact Jeannine Hartz P'14, '20, jhartz@gmahs.org or (215) 646-8815, ext. 412, to learn how easy it is to participate through BLOCS, Gwynedd's EITC Partner.

ENROLLMENT

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.

Deadline for Applying for Financial Aid: March 15, 2019

Deadline for Submitting 2018 Tax Returns: April 1, 2019 (including Class of 2023)

Notification of Financial Aid Decision: May 2019

Please click below for additional information and to apply online.

Information and FACTS Application