We had some incredible students represent MDJH in the Regional Science Fair this weekend at Memorial University. They showcased their projects to our community and specialized judges which included Memorial University Professors and Engineers to name a few. All students put a lot of work and effort into their projects and represented themselves and our school with pride.

Here are the results from the Science Fair Awards Ceremony:

Honorable Mentions in the Physical Sciences Junior:

• Nathan Stanley and Leo Shinkle

Honorable Mentions in the Physical Sciences Intermediate:

• Alishba Azrin

Gold Medal in the Physical Sciences Intermediate:

• Joyetta Goyali
• Mackenzie Wishart

Silver Medals in the Life Sciences Intermediate:

• Colin Purchase
• Vidya Chedella

Best project dealing with Water Conservation and Climate Change Award:

• Mackenzie Wishart

Memorial University Department of Biology Award:

• Colin Purchase

Memorial University Department of Chemistry Award:

• Alishba Azrin
• Mackenzie Wishart

Science Team NL:

• A special Congratulations to Mackenzie Wishart who was selected to represent Newfoundland and Labrador on Science Team NL at the Canada Wide Science Fair in Ottawa. This is a huge accomplishment!

Mackenzie’s Project was titled: 

• Journey to Net Zero: Carbon Capture and Absorption using Alkali Metal Hydroxides.

This Tuesday, MDJH hosted the Math League in our library. 17 teams competed, including three from MDJH. MDJH Team 2 placed third! Congratulations to all the competitors!

Parent-Teacher Interviews will be held on March 21 from 12:30pm to 6:00pm.

Due to the Parent-Teacher Interviews, students will have an early dismissal on Thursday, March 21. Students will be dismissed at 11:21am, and the busses will be here for their regularly scheduled runs.

There is also a scheduled Professional Development Day on Friday, March 22. There will be no classes for students on that day.

Regular classes resume on Monday, March 25th, and it will be Day 1 on the schedule.

The Canadian Chess Challenge NL Provincial Final 2024 will take place Saturday, March 23rd at Gonzaga High School in St. John’s.

This event is traditionally the most prestigious school chess event of the year and it is open to players from all grades in the province. There is no requirement for players to qualify through regional events this year.

Presented by the Newfoundland and Labrador School Chess Association (NLSCA).

• Web Site: chess.nl.ca
• Email: info@chess.nl.ca

Venue: Gonzaga High School, 20 Smithville Crescent, St. Johns NL A1B 2V2

Date: Saturday, March 23rd, 2023.

Entry Fee:

• $22.50 on-line in advance (up to 6pm on Friday March 22nd)
• $25.00 on the door (if places still available).
• Cash or credit/debit card accepted

Capacity: 175 players

Registration:

• Players registered in advance are NOT required to check-in at the registration desk on the day but must arrive by 10am for the roll call.
• Registration on the door opens 9:15 am and closes at 10:00 am.
• Any player who is not registered (either in person or on-line) by the close of registration will miss the first round.
• All of the main rounds should be complete by approximately 4 PM.
• Players involved in play-off games may be required to stay after this time.

Format: 5 rounds Swiss pairing (large sections) or round robin (small sections).

Time Controls:

• Main Rounds: 25 minutes per player per round + 5 second delay per move
• Tie-break playoffs for 1st place in CCC Provincial Final will be decided by full length games (i.e., 25 min + 5s). Playoffs for 2nd & 3rd place will be 10 min + 5s.

Eligibility: This event is open to all school-aged players currently residing in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. There is no requirement to qualify this year,

Awards: Trophies will be awarded to the top three players in each grade. Also, the top player in each grade will be invited to represent the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador as a member of the provincial team in the National Final.

More Details: https://chess.nl.ca

There will be a short lunch break during the tournament. The exact time and duration of the break will be determined on the day of the tournament and will vary among grades. Due to the high standard of play at this event, players may not request a bye during any round of this tournament.

Important Note to Parents:

All tournament participants must be supervised by a parent or designated guardian. Neither the Newfoundland and Labrador School Chess Association (NLSCA) nor Gonzaga High School will be held responsible for the safety or behaviour of participants not actively engaged in tournament play. The responsibility of the tournament organizers will be limited to ensuring fair competition in accordance with NLSCA tournament rules. (See https://chess.nl.ca for more information).

Planned Parenthood is offering a free, online 12 week Healthy Relationships Workshop for youth ages 14-19. Topics include consent; sexual health; sex, drugs and safety; and healthy and unhealthy relationships. Sessions start April 16th. Please see the poster below for registration details.

The deadline to register for Holy Trinity High’s 2nd Annual Provincial Student Social Justice Conference is March 27th. This FREE conference brings together students and teachers from across the province for two days of learning, socializing, and collaborating on April 12th-13th at Holy Trinity High, Torbay.

There will be over 18 workshops for participants to choose from with speakers from the Human Rights Commission, the Autism Society, Quadrangle, MUNSU, and Food First NL, just to name a few. This year there will be a social on Friday night as well.

The registration deadline is next Wednesday, March 27th. You can register here:
https://forms.gle/EZsPLTJYdnY7R4dX9.

There will be no cafeteria service available on Monday, March 18th, 2024.

We apologize in advance for the inconvenience.

To close out our Pi Day, we had a “Pie A Teacher” contest. The student council sold tickets for a change to smoosh a pie in the face of one of our brave teacher volunteers, and the response was enthusiastic. Thank you to the organizers, ticket buyers, and teachers who took part.

Mr. Tarrant proved to be a great sport about being a frequent target…

The aftermath – teachers and the lucky ticket winners.

Dear Parent/Guardian,

School Development Surveys are conducted annually to gather feedback from students, staff, and parents/guardians to inform the school development process. The survey results will be provided to your child’s school and used with other data to identify the school’s strengths and challenges. Your child’s school will then create and implement a plan to build on successes and address areas of challenge.

The survey is anonymous, which means that we cannot connect your survey responses to you. We encourage everyone to participate so that we have the most accurate representation of family perceptions at your school.

Please complete the survey by clicking on the following link: https://www.research.net/r/SDFamily2324EN. If you do not have internet access contact your school.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the school development surveys, please contact:

• Allan Johnson at 709-729-7831 or allanjohnson@gov.nl.ca or
• Patricia Emberley at 709-729-6850 or patriciaemberley@gov.nl.ca

Thank you for your participation and for being a valued member of your school community.

Sincerely,
Dr. Carolyn Stacey for Joanne Hogan
Director, Evaluation and Research Division

Mar. 15 – Term 2 Report Cards available on-line (PowerSchool)

Mar. 21 – Term 2 Parent / Teacher Interviews 12:30pm to 6 pm

Mar. 22 – Professional Learning Day (no classes for students)

Mar. 28 – Last day before Easter break (full day of classes)

Apr. 8 – Classes resume after Easter break

Apr. 24 – Grade 9 missed immunizations

May 15 – Gauss Math Competition

May 23 – Grade 9 Carnival

June 13 – Professional Development Day (no classes for students)

June 14 – Term 3 Marks due

June 20 – Term 3 Ends / Term 3 Reports go home

June 21 – Administration Day