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Our aim is not only to make the child understand,
and still less to force him to memorize,
but so to touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his innermost core.
Maria Montessori, The Absorbent Mind
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Upcoming Dates
Thurs., Sept. 8 Birthday of the Blessed Mother (wear blue)
Thurs.., Sept. 15 Child Protection Orientation Session, 6:15 pm
Thurs., Sept. 15 PTO Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 16 Picture Day (out-of-uniform)
Thurs., Sept.22 Pre-Primary Parent Education Evening 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Sept.28 Child Protection Orientation Session, 8:15 a.m.
Sept.26-29 Middle School Odyssey Trip to Hico, West Virginia
Sept. 28-30 Upper Elementary Trip to Camp Campbell Gard
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Happy Birthday, Mother Mary!
Dress in Blue on September 8
On September 8, the Church celebrates the birth of Mary, Mother of God. To honor the Blessed Mother, children may dress in blue out-of-uniform clothing on Thursday, September 8, Our Lady's feast. We will celebrate at school with a special Marian prayer service for elementary and middle school students in the church at 9:00 a.m., including a homily by visiting priest Fr. Ezra Sullivan, OP, a newly-ordained Dominican priest. Then, Fr. Ezra will visit each classroom to bless the classroom, the children, and an image of the Blessed Mother. We will conclude our celebration with birthday treats over lunch!
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Office News
Newsletter
If you want to receive the weekly Tuesday newsletter by hard copy each week, please contact Nancy Toon (ntoon@gscmontessori.org) even if you told her last year. Otherwise, we will send it to you by email. This first issue is being sent to every family by both hard-copy and (if possible) email. The newsletter contains important information. Please take time to read it.
Call in Absences
Please be sure to notify our office by 8:30 a.m. if your child will be absent. If your child rides the bus to school in the morning, we will call your home if the teacher lists your child as absent but we have not heard from you.
Safety
Children and adults are asked not to use the lower entrance doors except for bus arrival/dismissal and preschool recess. The doors remain locked. Parents, if your children remain after school, they must be under your supervision and must not use the lower entrance doors, so that they may remain locked.
Parking, Recess, Driving
- We would like to keep the large parking lot (by the modular building) as free of cars as possible, so that the children have room for games during recess. Please try to park in the small lot north of the church. If you do park in the large lot, please park along the perimeter of the lot, so that the center area is free for children's play.
- There is no traffic permitted on the large lot between 11:30-1:00 due to student recess.
- Please drive carefully on Roe St. Neighbors have asked that we maintain a safe speed. Thank you for your care in this matter.
School Pictures
Friday, September 16, weather permitting, Debra Shepard Photography will be taking school pictures. All students may be out of uniform as all students will photographed. An order form for pictures will be coming home at a later date by backpack mail. The rain date for photos is Friday, September 23.
Join Us for Mass!
Parents are welcome to join us for Mass on Tuesdays at 8:15 a.m. This year our celebrants will be Fr. Dave Lemkuhl and Comboni Missionary priests Fr. Ruffino Ezama and Fr. Brian Quigley. Mary Hamiter, Barb Blasch, and Jana Widmeyer lead the music at Mass, with rotating help from student cantors. We hope you can join us!
Charcoal Grill Wanted
The middle school is looking for a charcoal grill for their community lunches. Please let us know if you have one you could donate to the school. Thank you!
2010-11 Yearbooks
The 2010-11 GSCM Yearbooks are in, and they are beautiful! Yearbooks should have been delivered via backpacks to your child. Note that last names have been placed on the back cover with a Sharpie (somewhat difficult to see), so if you have misplaced one, please pay attention to the labels. A limited number of yearbooks are leftover for purchase if you forgot to get one or would like to have one for each child in your family (how will you splilt them when they go to college?!) for $17 each. Preview the office's copy, if you wish, and see how awesome it looks. If you would like to purchase a yearbook, email Dinese Young, dyoung5281@gmail.com.
Yearbook Coordinator Needed! No experience necessary to fill this volunteer position. You will have a small committee to help you take pictures and write copy for the 2011-12 Yearbook. We use a program that is very simple, just input data and pictures for publishing - voila! Don't run the risk of not having a school yearbook. Volunteer today by contacting Dinese Young, dyoung5281@gmail.com Parent Book Club Do you enjoy reading for fun? Are you sick of reading work briefs, childhood development books, professional development materials, etc? Would you like to meet more GSCM parents in a social setting while sharing your book experiences? If so, consider signing up for a new GSCM Parent Book Club. We will try to read one group selected book per month (six weeks during the holidays) and meet to discuss the selected book at either homes or coffeeshops, evenings preferable. If interested, email Dinese Young at dyoung5281@gmail.com. Back to top
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Program News
HOP, SKIP AND DANCE
A creative dance class for children taught by Jeanne Speier
This fun, basic movement skills class for pre-school aged children (3-5yrs) taps into the flow of nature around us as we dance like the wind, butterflies, galloping ponies and shooting stars. A basic warm up will be repeated each week to develop motor skills and dances from Bali and Haiti will be shared.
(Jeanne Speier has an MA degree in Dance Therapy and currently teaches dance at Villa Madonna, The New School and Doherty. She is happy to share her love for dance with the students at GSCM where she teaches Kindergarten music classes.)
Pre-Primary Parent Education Evening
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Mathematics and the Young Child: Building Concrete Foundations for Future Abstract Thought.
Please join Anita Calo, Carrie Bucksath, and Julia Damico as they present the extraordinary Montessori math curriculum. Maria Montessori's genius is apparent in the design of these materials. Imagine introducing children to concrete materials for concepts in math, such as, squared and cubed numbers, addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division of numbers up to one thousand. All of this before they leave kindergarten, and all begun in the sensorial area at age 3. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to learn more about the value of a Montessori education for your child. Hope to see you on the 22nd.
Dan Teller Travels to Rome Consiglio Gathering From September 5-9, Dan Teller will be attending a a gathering of the International Consiglio of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in Rome, Italy. The Consiglio is comprised of representatives of national associations of CGS from around the world (Mexico, Colombia, Australia, Canada, Italy, etc.). American sends a Catholic and an Episcopalian representative, and Dan is the Catholic representative on the group. The Consiglio discusses various aspects of the ongoing development of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. It meets every 3-4 years. Dan last attended the 2007 gathering. The 2011 gathering will focus on work with adolescents, toddlers, primary aims of the elementary materials, the spread of the work to the Missionaries of Charity, and other key areas of the work. Please pray for our work as we enter a new era in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd with the passing away of Sofia Cavalletti. Start the New Year...in Song GSCM is starting a children's choir! All 9-12 and Middle School students interested in joining should attend the first meeting on Thursday, Sept 15th, beginning immediately after school in the rear of church. Subsequent practice meetings will take place on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month after school lasting until 4:00 p.m. Come to this first meeting, prepared to sing and have fun!! Questions? Call Barb Blasch, 9-12 & M/S Music Teacher at 248-4461 or email bblasch@gscmontessori.org. Back to top
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Volunteer News
Focus on Volunteers: Meet Kate Powers
A vibrant spirit of volunteerism strengthens the mission of GSCM. We honor and thank one volunteer each week for their energy and enthusiasm for our school.
Kate Powers is a veteran Montessorian. Several years ago, Kate's granddaughter attended our upper elementary program and had an excellent experience here. This introduced Kate to our school and, happily, she has never left! Kate volunteers weekly in Mrs. Calo's pre-primary class. She completed Level I training in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and so has a special love for preparing the atrium work and working with children. Her sense of beauty is highly developed. Kate also consults with our staff on creating a beautiful prepared environment for the children in the after care programs. She is also working with our Board to research program development and design.
Mandatory Orientation Session: Decree on Child Protection GSCM follows guidelines from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati regarding volunteers who work directly with children. The Archdiocese has issued a Decree on Child Protection that provides guidelines for all volunteers who have regular and/or significant contact with children. All volunteers with regular and/or significant (e.g., 3 or more hours per month) contact with GSCM students must attend a volunteer orientation session about the Decree. Overnight chaperones to the 9-12 Camp Campbell Gard trip must also attend. Please note: If you have already taken the Orientation Session, you do not need to do so again. Orientation sessions will be held: Thursday, September 15 6:15-7:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 28 8:15-9:00 a.m. If either of these dates conflict with your schedule, please contact Nancy Toon and we will helpyou make alternative arrangements for meeting this volunteer requirement. Criminal Background Check In addition, the Ohio Revised Code requires that all regular volunteers have BCII and FBI criminal background checks. To do this, you will need to visit a fingerprinting site. A list of these locations is available at the archdiocesan website, www.catholiccincinnati.org. Click on "fingerprinting" at the left side of the home page. The fee for the BCII check is $28.00. For those who have not lived continuously in the state of Ohio for the past five years, an FBI check is also required. That fee is $30.00. We greatly appreciate your generosity in volunteering your time and expertise in behalf of the children at our school. Without you, The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori wouldn't be such a wonderful place for children! PLEASE RSVP FOR THESE SESSIONS TO NTOON@GSCMONTESSORI.ORG OR BY CALLING 271-4171
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