Parent Newsletter
Macdonald Drive Junior High, November, 2018
Macdonald Drive Junior High School
Email: christinapike@nlesd.ca
Website: http://mdjh.info
Location: 110 Macdonald Drive, St. John's, NL, Canada
Phone: 709-753-8240
Twitter: @mdjh
New Format
Dates to remember
- November 9-12 - Remembrance Day long weekend
- November 16 - Pancreatic Cancer Awareness - Please wear purple
- November 20 - WE Are Silent - Global Fundraiser
- November 30 - Report Cards
- December 6 - Parent Teacher Interviews
- December 7- PD Day
- December 11 - Christmas Concert
Remembrance Day ceremonies
Our Remembrance Day Ceremony was held on November 6.
Our very special guest, Mr. Rod Deon, a World War II survivor who fought with the Royal Canadian Navy, set the tone for our ceremony. To show our gratitude for his service, the 97-year-old active member of the Royal Canadian Legion was loudly applauded.
The Colour Party joined us and the MDJH band played O Canada. The Colour Party's presence always adds an air of solemnity to the assembly.
The ceremony was very ably hosted by our school president, Daniel Blackmore, and our vice president, Ahmad Saady. Kaitlyn Burke, Maria Keough, and Lilli Mercer also led the crowd through certain sections of the programming. Faith Collier re-enacted her epistolary narrative and was assisted by Kaitlyn, Maria, and Nicholas Cummings. Nicholas later recited the French version of In Flanders Fields entitled Au champs d’honneur.
Our band and choir provided beautiful music throughout the ceremony. The band played O Canada, For the Beauty of the Earth, Abide with Me, and The Maple Leaf Forever. The choir sang There Will Be Peace and The Ode to Newfoundland. Three choir students performed Sing You Home. Nicole Lambert and Gina Gibbons provided the emotional vocals while Sidney Chislett accompanied them on cello.
We were very grateful to see former MDJH student Andrew Ross join us to play The Last Post and Reveille. Andrew is currently a Grade 12 student at Gonzaga.
As the ceremony closed, Mme. Brunet's speech eloquently brought peace into the equation. She reminded us that we should always consider an alternative to fighting. She ended by reciting an amazing poem written by Chaymaa Maarouf, one of our students. This poem was about Chaymaa's experience with war and coming to Canada. It was quite moving!
Finally, The Wonderful Grand Teacher Band performed the song Last Night I Dreamed the Strangest Dream by Pete Seeger. This song echoed the sentiments of Mme. Brunet and Chaymaa. As the teachers performed, peace drawings by our LEARN students (recent immigrants to Canada) played on a screen in the background.
As always, our students behaved respectfully. It is clear that we understand the need to be truly grateful and the need to remember.
Mme Brunet
Epistolary Narrative
MDJH Choir
Honoured guests and presenters
Colour Guard entrance
Wonderful Grand Teacher Band
Food drive winners
Tutoring for Tuition
At Gonzaga, there is a strong Tutors for Tuition program with many of our tutors just "chomping at the bit" to help someone. Due to a surplus of tutors in certain areas, they are extending an invitation to MDJH this year. If there are any students who could be transported to Gonzaga for 3:00 on any given day they would love to set them up with some free help. Please contact MDJH or Mr. Porter in the Math Department if you would like to arrange for this service.
European Tours 2019 & 2020
There is still space available for any Grade 9 student interested in travelling to France and Italy this coming Easter. Please see Mme Stacey for more information. Time is running out!
New Tour!!! (Barcelona, France, and Italy) planned for any current Grade 8 student interested in travelling on the tour during their Grade 9 year in 2020. Any questions please contact Mme Stacey at the school or email carolynstacey@nlesd.ca. Early enrollment incentives apply.
Don't miss our Christmas Concert!
Tuesday, Dec 11, 2018, 07:00 PM
Macdonald Drive Junior High School Gym, Macdonald Drive, St. John's, NL, Canada
Call for book fair volunteers
The Scholastic Book Fair will be held from December 3 to December 6. We are excited about sharing the joy of reading with our students. We invite you to participate in this year’s Scholastic Book Fair by volunteering your time.
Scholastic Book Fairs give our school the opportunity to bring families, teachers, students, and books together. It is the ultimate book event! Additionally, a portion of the sales benefits our school library. It is one of the best ways to raise funds while encouraging kids to read.
Being a part of something special is easier than you think. We need volunteers in a variety of areas, including:
• Helping with promotion, hanging posters and banners, and spreading the word about our
Book Fair.
• Merchandising our Book Fair and table displays to create a terrific bookstore environment.
• Greeting customers at the door and working at our cashier table.
• Helping students and shoppers select just the right books.
If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about our Scholastic Book Fair, please contact:
Beth Power
or 753-8240 ext 231.
Thank you in advance for helping to make our students lifelong readers – we could not do it without your participation.
Student Council News
Adopt a Senior Christmas Project
Each year, the student council organizes an “Adopt a Senior for Christmas” project. There are seniors in our community nursing homes with no family nearby and the holidays can be a very lonely time for them. For the past few years, we have partnered with St. Pat’s Mercy Home to adopt 25-30 seniors. Each homeroom will be given a Christmas wish list for a senior. Class reps will organize students in their class to bring in the various items on the list or organize a collection to purchase the items. Each student in the homeroom signs a card for their senior, the gift is wrapped, and they are delivered to St. Pat's. Thank you in advance for your continued generosity towards this worthwhile cause.
Canadian Student Leadership Conference
The next national leadership conference will be September 24 - September 29, 2018, in Abbotsford, British Columbia. The theme is Empowering Inner Resources. The conference theme will flow through the keynote speeches, leadership workshops, volunteer opportunities, and cultural experiences of the conference. Any current Grade 8 student interested in attending this conference next year should see Ms. Quann. Parents can email colettequann@nlesd.ca to express a desire to have their child attend this conference. There are limited spaces so students will be placed on a list in order of email received. You can also visit the website https://cslc2019.studentleadership.ca/ for more details.
Yearbooks
There are several 2016-2017 yearbooks available for purchase.The cost is $20. Please contact colettequann@nlesd.ca if you wish to purchase a yearbook from last year.
Team Photos
It is never too early to start compiling pictures for the 2017-2018 yearbook. Please send any team pictures to colettequann@nlesd.ca. If sending from a cell phone, please select actual size to ensure the quality is good for uploading to the yearbook site. Some school sports have a short season and we would really like to have these team pictures included. Please send along your soccer and softball photos!
Photography club
Photography Club meets every second Wednesday from 3-4:30. Each month there is a photo contest. Club members are reminded to please submit their photos to twragg@hotmail.com
Celebrate Student's Success
We want to acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of the students of MDJH. We have a wall of celebration where we will place a certificate of acknowledgement highlighting participation and success in a variety of activities. We want to know if your child has participated in any plays, musicals or has been on a team that has won some title. Has your child been recognized in any individual competition? We need your help with this. Please let us know so we can proudly display this on our wall. Please email colettequann@nlesd.ca with Celebrate YOUR CHILD’S NAME in the subject line.
Grizzly Medal Winners!
MDJH Volleyball and Soccer
It was a great weekend for MDJH Volleyball and Soccer Teams
These are the Provincial Volleyfest Results:
- 7 Girls (Team Khattab) 2nd place Tier 1
- 7 Girls (Team Gordon-Butt) lost in Quarter Finals
- 8 Girls (Team Andrews) 2nd place Tier 2
- 8 Girls (Team Walsh/Fewer) lost in Semi Finals Tier 1
- 9 Girls (Team Way) lost Quarter Finals Tier 2
- 9 Girls (Team Bartlett) lost in Quarter Finals Tier 1
- 7 Boys 2nd place Tier 1
- 8 Boys 1st place Tier 1
- 9 Boys 1st place Tier 2
The MDJH Girls Soccer Team took home silver for their competition!
Congratulations everyone!
Grade 8 Girls
Grade 9 Boys
Grade 8 Boys
Grade 7 Girls
MDJH Girls soccer team
Go Grizzlies!
Kids Eat Smart NL - November recipes
Poppy Flower
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of natural or vanilla yogurt
3 strawberries
2 grapes
5 blueberries
Directions:
Cut each strawberry into slices. Spread the yogurt on the plate where you will make the flower. Place strawberry slices onto the yogurt, making a circle that will form the flower.
Place blueberries inside to make the flower center. Cut the grapes in half and use them
to make the flower stem.
Adapted from: http://www.kiddiefoodies.com/dessert/124-strawberry-flower
Rainbow Pancake Tacos
Ingredients:
Fruit of your choice (avoiding school allergies)
Yogurt
Pancake mix
Directions:
Make pancakes as per your usual recipe. Fold pancakes and scoop fruit into center to create a taco shape. Pancakes hold their shape better if they are allowed to cool. Fold into taco shape and add fruit to center. Top with yogurt.
Adapted from: https://www.forkandbeans.com/2018/03/04/rainbow-pancake-tacos/
PLEASE DO NOT PARK AT CROSSWALKS
STUDENTS CROSSING CANNOT BE SEEN
To let your child out, please stop and park after the crosswalk.
Congestion in Bus Lanes
As you enter the school parking lot, please ensure that you keep to the left lane if you are dropping your child off in front of the school. Also, please make sure that our busses can enter our lot on the right.
Student Drop-off/Pick-up Student Entrance Procedures
- For student drop-off, stay in the left lane in a single line as you enter the school grounds.
- When you turn left in front of the building, proceed as far as possible to the right (closest to the cement divider) before dropping your children off. Please wait for the vehicles in front of you to drop off students before proceeding.
- Through traffic stays to the left in front of the student entrance.
- Busses will enter the school grounds in the right lane and proceed to the far right closest to the building.
- Note: Only staff and alternate transportation should travel in the right lane to proceed around the building.
- Ms. Pike and Ms. Hardy will be out each day, rain or shine, to help direct traffic.
Macdonald Drive Junior High - We are a WE school
Email: christinapike@nlesd.ca
Website: mdjh.info
Location: 110 Macdonald Drive, St. John's, NL, Canada
Phone: 709-753-8240
Twitter: @mdjh