Gonzaga Memo to Families

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is celebrated this year from February 9 to 15th. Members of the School Council and the Student Council would like to ask that you email our student council representative, Orpa Hawlader, at ohawlader21_s@nlesd.ca if you would like to contribute to the teacher appreciation week initiatives.

Our teachers and staff are a huge part of what makes Gonzaga a great place to be. Please take a few moments to do one small act that week to show our Gonzaga Viking teachers and staff how much our school community truly appreciates what they do each and every day.

Please be sure to ask your children to please return their semester one textbooks as soon as possible so that you will not be sent an invoice in the coming weeks. Textbooks can be dropped off at the main office or in the box marked "Textbook Returns' next to the Circulation Desk in the LRC.

Our cafeteria service will remain closed until Wednesday, January 29th, 2025.

Graduation Photos will take place on Friday, January 31st for those students who were not yet photographed. A schedule has been posted outside of Mr. Cluney's office for those students.

Gonzaga High School will be holding its 43rd Annual Ocean Ranger Memorial Service. The service will be held at The Basilica of St. John the Baptist on Wednesday, February 12, 2025 starting at 1:00 PM.

All students will be bussed to and from the Basilica at no charge to families. Students are not permitted to drive their own vehicles. All students will need a signed permission form to attend. Parents are required to complete the permission form through Rycor on your PowerSchool Parent portal. You will find the permission form under the heading Fees and Forms on the left hand side of your screen. Paper copies of the permission form are available at the office for those who require one.

Permission forms are due no later than Friday, February 7th at 12:00 pm in order for buses to be ordered and other arrangements made. If a student does not complete the permission form, they will not be permitted to leave school grounds and will remain at school and watch the service virtually. This is a long standing tradition for our school community and we hope and expect that all students attend. A link to view the service is below:

https://www.thebasilica.net/live/

Explore is an intensive immersion program which offers students aged 13-15 years and students aged 16+ in this province the opportunity to explore French language and culture through social and travel experiences. Sessions are a life-changing experience for students. For more information on Explore, click HERE.

Application Portal and Deadline

The Application Portal for Explore is open and applications are being accepted. Click here to APPLY NOW.

The deadline for applications is February 4, 2025.

Information Sessions for Students and Parents

Teams sessions have been planned to provide information on the Explore Program. Dates and times are listed below. Information Sessions are open to students and/or their parents.

The dates and times of the sessions in 2025 are as follows :

• Tuesday, January 21, 2025

7:30 pm (Newfoundland Standard Time - NST)

• Tuesday, February 4, 2025

9:00 pm (Newfoundland Standard Time - NST)

You will find these sessions on the Official Languages Programs Facebook Page, under events.

Microsoft Teams Session Access Information:

• Teams Meeting ID: 253 223 378 37
• Passcode: pY3fRQ

More information on the programs is available on the Official Languages Programs Facebook Page. Sessions above are in English only. Additional information sessions are also available in French.

These presentations have been organized by the Explore Program Promotion Agents, in collaboration with the provinces and territories and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada.

Provincial Summer Programs for Grade 9 and Grade 10 students (Voyage and Adventure)

Please note: In past years, students in Grade 9 and 10 of this province have been able to apply for national programs like Explore, as well as for provincial bursary programs such as Voyage and Adventure. These provincial programs to learn or improve French language and culture are very popular and generate much interest from students and their parents.

While provincial programs will be available for Summer 2025, some changes are anticipated, however, and the application period may be delayed.

This is a reminder that the completion of volunteer hours for Career Education/Carrière et vie is a graduation requirement. There are a number of level 3 students who have not completed their required hours. If not completed, these students will not be able to graduate. If any student is questioning if they have completed their hours, they can simply log into PowerSchool and check their transcript. If the number of credits next to Career Education/Carrière et vie is zero with an H, then the hours have not been submitted. Please be sure to complete those 30 hours of community contribution asap. We encourage all level 1 students to complete their career/carrière community contribution hours this year and not wait.

The Track and Field Sport Operation Committee for the 2025 Canada Games which take place in St. John's from Aug 8-24 and require 5,000 volunteers to meet the needs of athletes from competition to accommodations. Specifically, the sport of Track and Field is during the week of Aug 18-24 and requires 150 dedicated volunteers. There are a number of roles to be filled including, but not limited to, data entry for results, in-field minor officials, and equipment setup. While some of the roles require prior knowledge of the sport many do not, and would be suitable for high school aged (16+ yr old) students to fulfill (e.g., data entry using computer software). There are a few requirements for the volunteer positions such as successful registration with the Canada Games Host Society, the student is 16 years or older, the student is available to attend training sessions during the Spring and early Summer of 2025 to prepare for specific technical tasks, and a commitment of at least 32 hours (the total time is cumulative through all training and games competitions, but the majority of the time is expected during the week of the Games). More information can be found following this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeEgWZvj0wWjMR96DELeI130Z2Wm_s6S1lSuoqAszcAK_3VQA/viewform

Our Gonzaga Community is happy to note that the PUPS 2025 team is hard at work again this year. We are currently accepting gently used prom dresses, suits and shoes. We are also accepting prom-style jewelry and purses. The volunteer team has been working hard collecting, cleaning, repairing and organizing our current stock. Plans are underway for the first date and time for our for open house for all NL high schools students. If you have any items, please drop them off at the main office Gonzaga.

Please find the following opportunity from the Historic Sites Association for students in grades 7 to Level 3.

From June 27th to July 7th, 2025, the Historic Sites Association of NL and its

partners are taking 100 students from across Newfoundland and Labrador
on the trip of a lifetime. They’ll head to France and Belgium to participate in
a First World War battlefield tour, visiting significant sites where the Royal
Newfoundland Regiment fought. AND they’ll spend time in the five
communities that are home to the Newfoundland Regiment’s bronze caribou

monuments.

The deadline is January 26, 2025. If you have any questions, email atbrand@historicsites.ca or call 709-631-0464. For more information please see here.

We would like to thank you for your continued support and if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the administrative team.

Have a great weekend,

Andrew, Gillian & Peter