Parent Newsletter
Macdonald Drive Junior High, May 2023
Macdonald Drive Junior High
Email: macdonalddrivejrh@nlesd.ca
Website: mdjh.info
Location: 110 Macdonald Drive, St. John's, NL, Canada
Phone: 709-753-8240
Twitter: @mdjh
Dates to remember
- May 22 - Victoria Day Holiday
- May 25 - Grade 9 Carnival
- May 26 - Children's Wish Event
- May 29 - Teacher PL Day
- May 31 - Teacher PL Day
- June 22 - Last day for students - Dismissal 12:30
What's Been Going On
Rotary Music Festival 2023
Congratulations to all of our performing ensembles on their participation in the Rotary Music Festival. This is the first time our students have had the opportunity to perform at the festival, and they were well-received by adjudicators and festival staff. We are so proud of the work they have done and all they have accomplished. Bravo!!
Teacher versus Student Events
On Wednesday, April 26, the teachers played the students in a game of trivia. The teachers were the victors this month. The students were tough competition for the teachers, only losing by a couple of points. With four events in, students have two wins and the teachers have two wins. The next event is volleyball, taking place the last Wednesday in May. Good luck to both!
Coming Up...
Underwater Robots!
The MDJH ROV team "ORCA" has been hard at work this spring, prepping for the big competition on Friday, May 5, at the Marine Institute's School of Ocean Technology. Teams from across the province will be putting their underwater robots in the deep flume tank, testing their technical skills under the MATE ROV banner.
Grade 9 Carnival 2023
This year, MDJH will be hosting its Grade 9 Carnival on May 25, from 6:30 – 9:00 PM. Both the Student Council and School Council have endorsed this event. All grade 9 students are encouraged to attend, as it will be one of the last times to come together as the senior class of MDJH. The City of St. John’s Youth and Recreation Group will be helping to organize the occasion.
Some of the events that have been planned include:
- Large Games
- Red Planet Adventure
- Clue Orienteering
- BBQ
- Memorial Banner
- Wii Sports & Just Dance
- Karaoke
- Smoothies & Candy Shop
- Photo Booth
- Video Games Room
As each student completes an event, their card will be hole-punched and their names will be entered for a prize. To keep costs at a minimum, we will be looking for the donation of small prizes. If you would like to donate an item, feel free to drop it off at the office. Items that have been donated include:
- gift certificates
- movie passes
- basketballs
- caps
- and many more!
The food items include:
- barbequed hot dogs
- popcorn
- fruit smoothies
- We will also be looking for parents/guardians to make mini cupcakes in batches of 50.
Dress for this event is casual: shorts, t-shirts, and sneakers. To help offset the costs, we are asking that each student bring in $20.00. If there are any concerns, please let the office know.
A form giving the details on how to register and pay for the Carnival will be given to all the Grade 9 students next week.
Other Info
2023 WORLD OCEANS DAY ART CONTEST!
“One Ocean, One Climate, One Future – Together.”
Contest open to all K-12 students throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as Pre-K children who would like to participate!
Posters must be original artwork, should be crafted on an 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper and should illustrate this year’s theme: “One Ocean, One Climate, One Future – Together.”
All submissions must include the following information:
- Student’s name and grade
- email address
- school name
- town or city
Please ensure student name and grade are used as the file name of the attachment.
Winners and Prizes!
- One winner per Grade Level, plus one winner for Pre-K entries
All Pre-K entries should include child’s name, town or city, and parent’s email address.
Entries must be digitally saved, only of the artwork (not the artist), and emailed by May 12, 2023, to:
Winners will be announced June 8, 2023, on the WOD Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WODNL
CONTEST OPEN TO RESIDENTS OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR ONLY.
Yearbook Order
The online store is now open and will close May 22, at midnight. The option to place orders in school is there for those unable to order online. Orders can be passed in to Ms. Quann in an envelope with the student’s name and homeroom number written on the front of the envelope. Online orders are encouraged if possible. Here is the link to order.
Celebrating Student Success
Lucas F., Nash G., & Henry P.
Congratulations to the Grizzlies that are part of the Eastern Thunder U13AAA hockey team! They won the DJHL Championship in a best of 3 series vs the Knights. It came down to an exciting shoot out for game 3 with the Thunder taking gold!
Noah M.
Over the Easter break, Noah and his team won Gold in the U15C Caps Provincial Hockey Tournament.
Joshua P., Paddy A., Isaac O., & Yaman A.
Over the Easter break, these boys represented the St. John’s U14 travel soccer team in an exhibition tournament in the UK. They played against teams from across the UK and Malta. The boys played 5 games in total, winning 2, tied 2, and lost 1. Congrats to these boys and the rest of their teammates! They did a great job representing the St. John’s soccer club!
Celebrate Student Success
If you know of a student you think is deserving of recognition, fill out our form by clicking here.
Student Council News
Grade 9 Baby Picture Slideshow
As part of our grade 9 leaving celebrations, we would like to show a slideshow of all of our grade 9 students and how much they have grown. We will display each student’s grade 9 school picture (we have copies of that) and a picture from you of them as a baby (toddler or early school years is fine as well). If your child missed picture day, they can still submit a baby picture but will need to include a current picture as well. Thanks to everyone who has already submitted pictures for the baby picture slideshow. If you missed the deadline for submissions and want to be included, you can email one picture only to colettequann@nlesd.ca. Every effort will be made to include your photo.
Yearbook Photos
Any student, parent or coach with a group photo of any group from our school are asked to please email a picture to colettequann@nlesd.ca. If you send a picture from your phone please be sure to select the option “actual size” to ensure good quality when uploading to the yearbook site.
MDJH Music
NL Band Association Spring Band Showcase - May 12
Our Concert and Symphonic bands have been invited to participate in the NL Band Association's Spring Showcase. This event is a fundraiser for the NLBA and helps support band activities and initiatives in our province. It is also a fabulous opportunity for parents to hear our Rotary Festival pieces, which we worked so hard to prepare.
Event details are as follows:
When: Friday, May 12, at 7:00 PM
Where: The Salvation Army Citadel, 25 Adams Ave., St. John's
Tickets are $10.00 and must be purchased in advance using this link (limited tickets available).
Featured performers include:
Beaconsfield Junior High Concert Band
Holy Heart Highlanders Jazz Band
Macdonald Drive Junior High Concert and Symphonic Bands
Waterford Valley High School Concert Band
MUN Junior Band Week 2023 - July 10 -14
MUN Junior Band Week is a week-long summer program at the School of Music for band students ages 8 to 14. This is a full-day camp from 9:00am - 4:00pm. Students work with educators, and professional musicians to hone their musical skills. Activities include small and large group coaching, improvisation with the jam band, private lessons, masterclasses, MUN faculty performances, breakout sessions, and more!! The week ends with a final showcase concert on Friday afternoon at 3:00pm for family and friends. For more information or to register, check out their website https://www.mun.ca/music/community-programs/junior-band-week/
MDJH Sports
Volleyball updates
Congratulations to the Grade 7 Girls Volleyball team, who won Bronze the last weekend in April in the tournament here at MDJH! Congratulations also go out to the Grade 7 Boys Volleyball team. In the recent 14U Provincial tournament, they were the only Grade 7 team to finish in Tier 1! Way to go, Grizzlies!
Hockey Update
MDJH female hockey team played their first game against St. Peters in early April. The girls outshot St. Peters 53 to 6 and won 3 to 2.
Way to go, Grizzlies!
Macdonald Drive Junior High
Email: macdonalddrivejrh@nlesd.ca
Website: mdjh.info
Location: 110 Macdonald Drive, St. John's, NL, Canada
Phone: 709-753-8240
Twitter: @mdjh