REMINDERS FROM THE DEAN OF STUDENTS:

Parking: Student parking passes are still available and forms can be picked up in my office. As of March 18th, the start of the 4th quarter, the cost of the parking pass goes down to $25. However, there is no guarantee of securing a parking pass in the 4th quarter as we don't have an unlimited number of spots in the student lot.

Attendance: A reminder about the wording in the Student Handbook regarding excessive lateness and absence. When student lateness starts to get into the double digits the student is informed that they are reaching the point where they are establishing a pattern of lateness. The goal is to encourage student accountability for arriving on time. As always, especially with student drivers, safety on the road is of primary importance so the goal is to emphasize time management and personal responsibility. Additionally, once a student reaches double digits for absences a communication will be sent home. The purpose of the communication is to encourage students to be mindful of number of days, and thereby class time, missed. As the wording below points out, should a student reach 20 absences the matter will be reviewed as a whole before any decision is made regarding academic standing.

Student Handbook:

Lateness: Students who drive to school by car and who establish a pattern of lateness will lose the privilege of driving to school for a period of time (p 26).

Absence: Students who miss more than 20 class periods for a full year course or 10 class periods for a semester course for any reason may fail that class for the year and jeopardize her promotion at the end of the year. Certification of an absence by a physician, as described in long term absence, will be taken into consideration when evaluating the student's academic progress. Satisfactory completion of required work is expected. The administration, in conjunction with the student's counselor, will review the matter with parents before a decision is made. Persistent absences may also result in the student being subject to appropriate disciplinary action. (p 25)

PRE-PROM ASSEMBLY

On Friday, April 5th we will hold a pre-prom assembly for Juniors and Seniors. Attendance at this assembly is required to attend prom. The assembly will take place first thing in the morning. If you know your daughter has a conflict on that date, please reach out to Mrs. Carty via phone call or email as soon as possible. 215-646-8815 x308 ecarty@gmahs.org.

In addition to going over some details and expectations for the prom, we will have two speakers presenting that morning. Below is a brief description of each and what they will focus on in their presentations. As always, the goal of the prom assembly is to raise awareness and to encourage our students to make responsible choices.

David Fialko, a Prevention Specialist from The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania which focuses on prevention, intervention, and addiction recovery solutions. David will address the dangers of alcohol and other drugs with an emphasis on the dangers of vaping.

Jessica Rice, the Community Education Supervisor from the Victim Services Center of Montgomery County. Jessica, along with alumna Olivia Rosenberger '12, will discuss healthy relationships and peer pressure.

CAFETERIA NEWS

Beginning Monday, March 18, the cafeteria will remain open until 2:30PM! This will allow students to purchase items from the grab and go area and beverage coolers before heading to after-school activities/sports.

SUMMER SERVICE TRIP

A friendly reminder that applications for the Panama City, Florida service trip are due on Friday.

Mr. Fromhold has talked with and informed all students of the third service immersion experience being offered this summer. So this reminder is for parents (in case your daughter hasn't mentioned it) that there is still time for her to register if she is interested.

For this particular trip, Gwynedd is partnering with a group called Mission850 in helping the people of Panama City, FL recover from the devastating hurricane that occurred last year. A group of students accompanied by chaperones will travel to Panama City to help with the Hurricane Michael relief efforts in any way we can. The trip is from Wednesday, July 17 through Sunday, July 21.

More information can be found about the trip on the following site:

https://mission850.com/camp/

Applications and an informational packet are available in Mr. Fromhold's office.

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Steve Fromhold at sfromhold@gmahs.org.

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

6th Annual GMAHS College Fair

All students grades 9 -12 are invited to attend our very own college fair on Thursday, April 11th from 7:00-8:30pm. Over 50 college representatives have signed up to meet with our Gwynedd Mercy students and we expect even more! To see a full list of the colleges so far, please visit gmahs.org/collegefair.

Juniors are encouraged to sign up for a mock interview with a college admissions officer prior to the fair. They can sign up for this great practice opportunity in the Counseling Center. The college fair is a great event to gain exposure to many colleges in a short amount of time, we hope to see you there.

JUNIOR FAMILY MEETINGS WITH COLLEGE COUNSELING

This is a friendly reminder that you are now welcome to sign up for a family meeting to discuss your daughter's college plans. These meetings will last about half an hour and your daughter is encouraged to attend as well.

Please use the link below to sign up for a meeting. Evening time slots are available on the following dates: 3/25 and 4/10. If you can't find a time that works for your family, please email Mrs. Natalie Damm directly at ndamm@gmahs.org

Junior Family Meeting

STUDENTS AND STUDIES

AP U.S. Government and Politics

Mrs. Battisto's AP U.S. Government and Politics students have been hard at work preparing for the College Board exam in May. Under the newly redesigned curriculum, students are now required to demonstrate knowledge of nine foundational documents. They will answer multiple choice questions regarding these documents and will also use them to back up arguments in the new Argumentative Essay Free Response Question.

"We recently finished studying the last of our nine documents, and were ready to take on a review activity to check our knowledge of the central themes of each. In groups, students were given quotes from each of the documents and tasked to place them around the room under the documents from which they came," states Mrs. Battisto.

"Afterward, students looked at their work and noted which quotes they thought were misplaced. We had a class discussion about the proper placement of each quote and then took pictures of our finished products when we had them all in the correct spaces so we can use them as a study tool for the exam. Discussion and debate were lively and the students have a nice visual representation of the content knowledge and historical thinking skills they have acquired throughout the school year."

MIXED MEDIA STUDIO

Mixed Media Studio students selected inspirational, North American landscape scenes from the internet to paint. The art students were required to include foreground, middle-ground, background, and atmospheric perspective in their compositions. They completed their paintings with acrylic paint on canvas board. The landscape genre in art history documents our natural world, tells the story of place, inspires us, and celebrates our environment and earth.

To view more student artwork, visit the Student Projects page.

SELF DEFENSE SEMINAR

For all Juniors & Seniors: Seniors will be heading off to college soon; Juniors, believe it or not, that is just around the corner for them, too! One component of preparing to move away from home is learning safety techniques. On Monday, March 18th during 9th period, Master Harry Pfister of Villaris Karate Studio in Chalfont will conduct a session geared toward preparing for college.

Topics covered will include: How to avoid bad situations; what to watch out for when you're away at school or out late after work: how not to be an easy target; how to deal with a potential threat before it becomes dangerous. Various scenarios will be addressed and he will offer a number of safety tips and techniques to better prepare you for living away from home.

We ask that Seniors skip their early sign-out privilege on this date and take advantage of this opportunity.

TECHGIRLZ®️

Gwynedd's 9th grade students are invited to join TechGirlz®️ to be part of "Herstory" at their Code Breakers event on Saturday, March 30th at Drexel University. You can read more about the event, here.

ATHLETICS

BASKETBALL

The Monarchs took on Bethlehem Catholic in the State 4A Sweet 16 game at Governor Mifflin on Wednesday. Despite a strong rally and lead in the first quarter by the Monarchs, BC took the lead and never looked back, and weren't able to be defeated. The Team put forth a valiant effort filled with lots of heart, and we are #Gwyneddproud of the tremendous season produced by these young ladies!

CREW

Gwynedd Crew took to the water this morning and ruled the river! Congratulations to the two Monarch boats sweeping first in their races at the Manny Flick / Horvat Series Regatta! WELL DONE, MONARCHS!

Sincere thanks to all of the parents who assisted with set up and staffing of Gwynedd's basecamp and "Chuck Wagon"