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GMA Mercy Memo 09.27.17

A message from our principal, Mrs. Anne Knapke


Dear Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Family and Friends,

 

I am excited to announce that we will be welcoming Mrs. Linda Torres to our school family. She will serve as a 6th grade Religion Teacher and the 4th through 8th grade Spanish Teacher. Mrs. Torres joins our accomplished faculty with a Masters of Education and Masters of Business as well as Pennsylvania certifications in Spanish K-12, ESL PreK-12, and Elementary Education K-6. Her experience within Catholic and public school settings, in addition to her service as a catechist in her parish, make her a perfect addition to GMA. Mrs. Torres will begin classroom teaching on Tuesday, October 10.

 

Last week's Mercy Day celebration was a wonderful expression of spirit and generosity.  The Dollars for Peru drive raised $4,354 for the Sisters of Mercy missions in Peru. The celebration of the 190th anniversary of the Sisters of Mercy's beginnings in Dublin, Ireland started with a school-wide liturgy. In the afternoon, one of Mercy learning activities involved traveling "Catherine McAuley's," the foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, as her 8th grade representatives visited each classroom. At the end of the day, we all gathered in the gym for the results of our friendly Dollars for Peru competition, in which Kindergarten emerged as the very enthusiastic winners. The slideshow below highlights some of our Mercy Day events and activities.

 

I am grateful to be a part of the Gwynedd-Mercy Academy Circle of Mercy and hope that all of our students were able to feel embraced by a special spirit during last Friday's celebrations.


In Christ's love and mercy,

 

Anne W. Knapke, M.Ed.

Principal

 

 

One Call Now

One Call Now is our emergency notification service. The database has been updated with this year's parent Yellow Book Directory email addresses. Please click here to review and update your contact information.

 

Next week, Wednesday, October 4, Gwynedd-Mercy Academy will host an Open House for Prospective Families from 9:00 am to 10:30 AM. If you know of a family who is interested in our school, please remind them to come visit. Our in-school open houses are the best opportunities for prospective families to see our students and faculty in action.

 

Help us reach 50 Shares by sharing in your newsfeed the facebook event post.  

 
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Curriculum Update:  Mrs. Lindsey Rauch, our Director of Curriculum made some comments at Back to School Night regarding exciting curriculum changes and highlights.  Click here to review this important information.

 

 

Solar Eclipse Glasses Wanted!

 

Mrs. Elizabeth Santangelo, science teacher for grades 7 and 8, is seeking many pairs of solar eclipse glasses. If you have them at home and no longer want/need them, please consider donating to 7M!  

 

As we get close to the big shopping season, please make sure you are using Amazon Smile for your purchases.  This is a truly painless fundraiser and one we'd like to see more families using. Why not give as you click on Amazon?

 

Grades 6-8 Speakers Series Begins 10/5 - Sign up now

As a school community, we have examined many ways to increase the opportunities for social and emotional learning for all students, but especially for those in our middle school. As part of these initiatives, we will be offering a Speaker Series once per trimester after school for students in grades 6-8 to introduce them to topics of importance in their emotional growth.

 

Mark your calendars and RSVP now to sign up your child to be with us for the first of these speakers on Thursday, October 5, 2017 from 3:30-4:30 PM. Angela Walden, from a local organization called EPIC, will speak to the students about issues of inclusion. We would love to see as many students as possible take advantage of this opportunity to join together and think through these ideas! Click here to RVSP for your child.

 

Yankee Candle Catalogs will be sent home with students Monday! The GMA Parents' Organization is once again sponsoring the sale. Check out the great scents and high-quality wrapping paper they have available. You now have two ways to order: send in the order form or Order OnlineGMA Group No. 990037417 (online orders pay $5.99 shipping). Orders are due by Friday, October 20. Any questions can be directed to lcatalfano@gmail.com.

 

Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 are invited to spread their Mercy Spirit by volunteering to visit the elderly at Spring House Estates, a retirement community located on Norristown Road.

  • Visits will take place after school on the following dates: October 12; November 2; November 30; December 14
  • Students walk to and from Spring House Estates via the GMA ball fields and are accompanied by Ms. Sher, Director of Religious Education. They leave school about 3:15 PM and return to GMA by 4:15 PM.
  • Volunteers commit to planning some type of entertainment for their visit such as playing an instrument, singing, reading a speech, doing card tricks, etc.
  • Visits are limited to 12 volunteers per week. Students will be assigned a certain number of visits dependent upon how many students sign up overall.
  • Click here to sign up for Fall Service!

Please contact Director of Religious Education, Ms. Liz Sher, with any questions. 

 

 

One-Time Service Opportunity for Grades 6-8!

 

6th, 7th, and 8th Graders.....Are you looking to do some service that will benefit children in schools that do not have enough textbooks for all their students? Here is an easy way to help...

Volunteer to stay after school on October 4th (3:15-4:30 PM) to help pack up science and social studies textbooks that we no longer use. GMA has partnered with a company that is willing to deliver the books to underfunded schools in need of materials. All we have to do is box the books and line them up at the back door for pick up.

 

We have the boxes and the books - all we need is your muscle!  Ms. Sher will serve as Faculty Moderator of this service endeavor.  Parents: please email Ms. Sher if your child would like to help out.

 
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Save the Date - November 10, 2017
 
 
 

Gwynedd-Mercy Academy has partnered with Lands' End to supply tote bags and string bags for students use during the school day.  An area in which we heard feedback during last year's Parent Focus Groups was that some students in grades 4-8 struggled to carry various items through the hallways from class to class.

 

In response, we have four styles of Lands' End bags with a GMA logo which may be used for this purpose. The purchase of these tote bags is completely optional.

  • The bags can also be embroidered with a monogram, but you will need to call the 1-800 number provided to add it to the order.
  • Lands' End is for BAGS ONLY. Even though our page on their site refers to uniforms and they are mentioned in their flyer - only the various tote bags with our logo are available.
  • The only bags permitted for use during the school day are these Lands' End approved bags.
  • Generally, most open ended percentage off Lands' End sale codes will work on these bags.
  • Our school code is 900184557.
  • If you have any questions, please contact Maura LaGreca at mlagreca@gmaelem.org.

 

 

GMA has partnered with The Common Market Farm Share to bring locally grown, fresh, seasonal fruits and veggies directly to our GMA Families. This program runs from November - April, with 12 biweekly deliveries. Each delivery includes 6-8 farm fresh items, plus one-dozen certified humane brown eggs. Use code EARLY to save $20 on your farmshare. More information can be found in this flier, and you can register by clicking here. Contact Mrs. Connolly at bconnolly@gmaelem.org with any questions.

School Holiday Camp:

Gwynedd-Mercy Academy will be partnering with Lavner Camps to provide a day camp experience on some holidays during the school year. On October 9, options will be Robotics (ages 5-6 and 7-12), Culinary Arts (ages 7-12), and Soccer (ages 5-10).  Stay tuned next week for sign up information.

After-School Clubs:

Our after-school club program is in the final stages of planning for the first trimester. Parents can expect to receive information about our exciting new offerings within the next few days.

Do you need any help with Aramark's lunch prepayment program?

We have received this video to aid parents using the PayCentral Schools application. 

 
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Congratulations to the 2017-2018 GMA Student Council

After primary and general elections, the members were

inducted during our Mercy Day Liturgy.

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