2024/25
Parent & Family Calendar
Welcome to the Zag Family!
Hello from Gonzaga’s New Student & Family Programs!
We are excited that you are part of the Gonzaga community, and we look forward to sharing in your student’s college experience at GU! We’re here to assist you and your student during this important transition in your lives. It will surely be a journey of great discovery and growth.
New Student & Family Programs is here to support you, as well as your student. Studies show that parent and family involvement improves and enhances the college experience for students, and our office is committed to providing the guidance and support you need to help your student succeed.
We understand the integral role parents and families play in making this new phase of your student’s educational journey a positive one and we have created several resources to keep you involved and informed. The Parent and Family Newsletter, Family Essentials, and our website at gonzaga.edu/ parents are all full of helpful tips and information.
Our intent is to make the Gonzaga campus a “home away from home” for all Zags by offering you a full range of information and resources that will enable you to best support and empower your student. We are available to answer your questions, big or small. If we don’t have an answer, we will certainly find one for you! Please feel free to call or email our office any time or stop by if you’re in Spokane.
We sincerely hope that this journey, for you and your student, will be fulfilling and successful. Welcome to our Gonzaga Family! GO ZAGS!
Lyss Gorman Director of New Student and Family Programs
SEPTEMBER
Take comfort in the foundation you have provided for your student. This foundation will accompany your student across the miles and throughout the years.
Mass of the Holy Spirit No classes that conflict with Mass or lunch St. Teresa of Calcutta
St. Vincent de Paul Incompletes revert to provisional grades
St. Peter Claver
St. Robert Bellarmine
OCTOBER
Fall Family Weekend (Oct. 4–6)
1 2 3 4 5
11–12)
16–23)
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Founder’s Day Holiday No classes
Mid-Semester grades due in Registrar’s Office
Torah (Oct. 24–25)
23–25)
Discuss academic goals and expectations ahead of time.
Many first year students do not do as well academically in their first semester as they did in high school, and many reconsider their proposed course of study. Ask your student what they hope to accomplish during their first year and help them take ownership of their education. Remember, though, grades are not the only indication of learning.
Shemini Atzeret (Oct.
St. Teresa of Avila Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Halloween
St. Francis Borgia
Simchat
St. Francis of Assisi
Rosh Hashanah (Oct. 2–4)
Sukkot (Oct.
Yom Kippur (Oct.
NOVEMBER
John Berchmans
DECEMBER
St. Edmund Campion
First Sunday of Advent
Second Sunday of Advent
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary St. Juan Diego
Third Sunday of Advent
Christmas holiday begins
Last week of the semester (Dec. 10–13)
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Nicholas
Reading/Study days (Dec. 7–9)
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Christmas Eve
Grades due in the Registrar’s Office
Don’t over schedule.
Tell your student ahead of time about family plans, especially over the holidays, so that they can make plans accordingly.
New Year’s Eve
Christmas Day Hanukkah begins Kwanzaa begins
St. Peter Canisius
JANUARY
Residence Halls open Spring Faculty Conference Monday Only Classes begin
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day No classes
Classes begin
St. Thomas Aquinas Chinese New Year
Talk to your student about how, and how often, you’ll keep in touch.
Do you want a planned time to talk or are you more spontaneous? A cell phone can be a wonderful way to connect, or it can be, as one student described, an “electronic leash.” Encourage your student to use it with discretion. Email and social media are also great ways to stay connected. Just don’t count on a reply to every message!
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Epiphany
FEBRUARY
Paul Miki
MARCH
Acknowledge that
Purim (Mar. 13-14) Spring Vacation (Mar. 10–14)
Patrick’s
Mid-semester grades due in Registrar’s Office
Annunciation of the Lord St.
Oscar Romero
APRIL
Last day to withdraw from a course Passover ends
Holiday No classes
Encourage your student to visit their professors. Every professor sets aside three or four hours per week for office hours. This time is meant for one-on-one conferences to help students with papers, test prep, and answer other questions. Encourage your student to take advantage of this opportunity as often as possible.
St. Catherine of Siena Yom Haatzmaut (Apr. 30–May 1) Easter
Yom HaShoah (Apr. 23–24)
St. Jean Baptiste de La Salle
Undergraduate Commencement
Mother’s Day
First summer session begins Summer begins
Last week of the semester (May 6–9)
Grades due in the Registrar’s office
Reading/study days (May 3–5)
Lag BaOmer (May 15–16)
Academic Honors Convocation
Commencement Mass Graduate School Commencement Memorial Day
Ascension
Renegotiate expectations.
When your Zag visits home, remember they’ve been making decisions on how to spend their time. You, however, may have strong feelings when they come home late at night, sleep in, or arrive late for dinner. Most students respond well if you treat them with respect. Start the conversation by being flexible and seeking common ground and solutions that will work for both of you.
Understand that college years are a time for exploration. Your student might come home with a new identity - someone else’s clothes; new politics, philosophies, or eating habits; or even a new major and career goals. Most of these changes are temporary. Take a step back, have a sense of humor, and pick your battles. They need you to stick with them, have patience, and support them as they chart the course of their own lives.
Holiday
St. John Francis Regis Juneteenth
Sts. Peter and Paul
Aloysius Gonzaga
Pentecost
Trinity Sunday Father’s Day
Bonaventure Independence Day
28 29 30 31
Ask questions - but not too many
First year students can resent interference with their new-found lifestyles. Still, most desire the security of knowing that someone is interested. Parental curiosity might seem obnoxious, or it could offer relief and support depending on the attitudes of the people involved. Avoid questions tinged with ulterior motives in favor of honest inquiries and discussion.
St. Ignatius of Loyola
St. Benedict
St. Kateri Tekakwitha
AUGUST
John Vianney
New Student and Family Programs
502 E. Boone Avenue – MSC 2464
Spokane, WA 99258-2464
(509) 313-5399
gonzaga.edu/nsfp
Photos by Zack Berlat (’11) and Chiana McInelly (’23)