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.

The Gonzaga High School administration team will be holding an in-person session for parents on Tuesday, February 11th at 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM. During this meeting, they will go through the Level 1 course selection presentation/process for 2025-2026 and allow time at the end for anyone who would like to ask questions. If any other parent of a current Gonzaga student is unfamiliar with the course selection process, they are also welcome to attend this information session.

The Gonzaga administration will also speak with the current Grade 9 students at MacDonald Drive Junior High School earlier on Tuesday, February 11th, 2025. Please see the memo below.

Please see the memo below:

Memo to Grade 9 Parents

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 NEXT 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.

M.U.N. has been made aware that their emails are not always reaching our students’ inboxes and sometimes are being directed to their junk mail. If your child is aware of students who have applied to Memorial but have not received any correspondence from them regarding their application, please encourage them to email admissions@mun.ca and they will look into the matter. To ensure you, and any students who have applied to Memorial, receive emails from them please add @mun.ca to your safe sender list and check your junk mailbox regularly.

On Tuesday, Feb. 11th and Wednesday, Feb. 12th students, parents/guardians in the St. John's metro area are invited to MUN’s annual information session and booth fair in the Core Science Facility on the St. John's campus.

Starting at 6 p.m. each night, check out the booth fair representing their faculties, schools and student support units across campus. At 7 p.m. join them for a next steps presentation and stick around for a student panel with current students to learn about their time at Memorial.

Free parking will be available in the parking garage (area 27), directly across from the venue.

Further details are available on their website.

The Scholarships and Awards Office is now accepting applications for the 2025-26 Harrison McCain Foundation Scholarship. Several scholarships will be awarded at Memorial University for the 2025-26 academic year. Each scholarship is valued at $16,000 ($4,000 per year for up to four years). For further details, read this letter from Tracey Wall, Manager, Scholarships and Awards.

The fall 2025 application for admission for Memorial University of Newfoundland is open. Students can apply online through the admissions portal. If students have already applied remind them to check their inbox for early acceptance offers.

Our Gonzaga Community is happy to note that the PUPS 2025 team is hard at work again this year. We are still 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. If you have any items, please drop them off at the main office Gonzaga.

Our first Pop Up Prom Shop is set to open at Gonzaga on Monday, February 17, 2025. A full 2 weeks before we open to every high school in the province!

Community Pop Up (CPU) Prom Shops :

TIME: 12:00PM - 3:00PM

CPU #1: Saturday, March 1, 2025 (Alterations accepted)

CPU #2: Saturday, March 22, 2025 (Alterations accepted)

CPU #3: Saturday, April 12, 2025 (No alterations accepted)

We can accept alterations during the first 2 CPU’s but not at or after the 3rd CPU.

All items will be removed from Gonzaga and stored until next year Thursday, April 17th, 2025.

Planning for the 2025 Gonzaga School Leaving Event for our level 3 students is well underway! The following are the details for the event:

Date: Saturday, June 7th, 2025

Venue: Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland

Time: 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm - Meet and Greet for all graduates, friends and family for various photo opportunities

6:30 pm -10:00 pm - Graduates and dates only will enter the ballroom for buffet style food; photo opportunities; dance; etc…more details to follow on the specifics.

Price: $125.00 per graduate/date

Any parent who did not complete the google form back in the fall to indicate that they would like to help out with the decorating committee can contact Gillian Browne at gillianbrowne@nlschools.ca.

Join our Team!

“Valiant Vikings 2025”

The Coldest Night of the Year is an annual, fun, family-friendly fundraising walk that supports local charity partners. We will be entering a student and staff team this year on Saturday, February 22, 2025! If you are interested in becoming a part of this team please see Mrs. Gardiner in the guidance office. You can receive up to 15 volunteer hours for this initiative.

The schedule for monthly meetings for participants and parents (if they want to join us they can) are posted in the Duke of Edinburgh Google Classroom. Our next monthly meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 24, 2025 at 7:00pm in the LRC! Please see the Google Classroom for all other meeting date times and hike dates.

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