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"I have always wondered if God, who had no hands or arms or legs but who made the whole world, knew what he would look like when he came to earth."
Question by 9-year old child in atrium
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Dear GSCM Parents,
Our school staff is embarking on an important and exciting school self-study, and we would like your input.
The self-study is part of our accreditation process through the Ohio Catholic Schools Accreditation Agency (OCSAA), which is used by all Catholic schools in Ohio. OCSAA involves a continuous improvement process built on a six-year cycle. The self-study process comprises the first two years of this cycle. Then, the school develops a 'school improvement plan' that it implements during the next four years of the cycle.
We are currently completing our improvement plan from our last accreditation cycle. The improvement plan calls for a student learning goal and a Catholic identity goal. Our student learning goal has been SCIENCE EDUCATION and our Catholic identity goal has been SERVICE LEARNING. As we continue to review our documentation from these goals, we will share with you the improvements we have implemented over the past four years in these areas.
The self-study process that we are now beginning is the start of the next six-year cycle in our continuous improvement plan. A self-study gathers large amounts of data and involves all the constituents of the school - students, staff, and parents - through a variety of surveys. This data is analyzed to understand the school's strengths and also areas of needed improvement.
We are looking to our families to complete an on-line survey that can be found at this link. http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22D86UKEFDW. The survey will be active until Thanksgiving, but we would greatly appreciate it if you could complete it earlier rather than later.
Thank you for helping provide important feedback as we analyze our school's strengths and areas for improvement. The self-study process takes two years, and we are looking forward to sharing our findings with you as we move forward.
Sincerely,
Dan Teller
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Upcoming Dates
Oct. 10-14 Iowa Test of Basic Skills (grades 2-8)
Wed., Oct. 12 Parent Book Club, 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 17-21 Book Fair
Fri., Oct. 21 Grandparents/Special Friends Day
Mon., Oct. 24 Mass of Intention, First Communicants, 5:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 5 FALL JAMBOREE!
Iowa Test of Basic Skills: Week of October 10
During the week of October 10, we will administer the Iowa Test of Basic Skills to all students in grades 2-8. Testing will begin promptly, shortly after 8:00 a.m. arrival. Please be sure to:
- Bring your child to school on time.
- Provide adequate rest and a good breakfast.
Grandparents/Special Friends Day: Friday, October 21
All students are welcome to invite their grandparents or special friends to join us for this special day. The children love to share their school one-on-one with their special guests. A short presentation, atrium open house and book fair will also take place.
Our schedule:
8:50-9:00 arrival
9:00-10:30 classroom visits with children
10:45-11:30 student presentations in church
Click here for more information and to register. http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=udr4yyhab&oeidk=a07e4y80ignc034bce5
(Information will also be sent home via backpack mail.)
Book Fair at GSCM: October 17-21
The Book Fair begins October 17 and runs through October 21, Grandparents' Day. Look for GREAT deals on gift-quality classic and Newbery & Caldecott Award books. Plan to do your birthday and Christmas shopping. A beautiful book is a gift to be cherished for a lifetime. This Independent book sale and the Usborne books will be in the lower hallway. Come visit anytime during school hours and support Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori School!
Fall Jamboree: Sat., November 5, 6:00-8:30 p.m. Save the date: Saturday, November 5 is our 2nd Annual Fall Jamboree 6:00-8:30 pm at Moeller Knights of Columbus Hall in Anderson (across from Turpin H.S.).
The Fall Jamboree is an evening of friendship and good, old-fashioned fun (including children's activities and square dancing with live music)! This is a social family gathering and does not cost anything. A great way to relax and enjoy our wonderful community!
Click here for details and to RSVP
http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=udr4yyhab&oeidk=a07e4yhh2s963aacf6f
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Mission Alive!
Each week, we share an aspect of our mission as it takes shape in the lives of the children. This week, middle school teacher John Bennet solo time in the middle school.
Solo Time in the Middle School
By John Bennett, Middle School Teacher
"Silence often brings us the knowledge which we had not fully realized, that we possess within ourselves an interior life. The child by means of silence sometimes becomes aware of this for the first time." Maria Montessori
There are two 15 minute solo periods per week in the middle school. During this time, the students are given material for a silent reflection. Below is a work from 8th grade student Lucy Schroder that captures the spirit and meaning of solo beautifully.
What I love about solo is that it is silent. At home and at school it can be hard to find a place where you can silently sit and reflect on your life and grow in what you know about yourself. Life has so many routines. From the moment you wake up in the morning, thoughts are always focused on what needs to be done, how to solve the problem at hand, where you need to go, where you'd rather be, and, at least for me, constant speculation on an improvement of my own character, goals, and self-knowledge.
I feel that whenever I'm in solo, I am being given a chance to think about important things like what I want to do when I grow up, where I want to go to high school or college, and what I expect from myself as a person. Even if we are not consciously thinking about these things, we are still developing a better understanding of ourselves because we think about what we did that day, about what we enjoyed, and what we did not enjoy. I think that the most important knowledge you can acquire at any age, but especially adolescence, is self knowledge. If you know yourself, then you are that much closer to knowing God.
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Catholic Identity
In addition to Montessori education and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, the third pillar of our school is our Catholic Identity. Here is an excerpt from our Catholic Identity Statement, which can be found on our website, www.gscmontessori.org.
The Presence of Mary
The grade school should provide a happy, relaxed, family-oriented environment for the students. "An awareness of Mary's presence can be a great help toward making the school into a 'home'. Mary, Mother and Teacher of the Church, accompanied her Son as he grew in wisdom and grace; from its earliest days, she has accompanied the Church in its mission of salvation." [29].
Marian Devotions: GSCM honors its patroness, Mary Queen of Angels, through Marian devotions and celebrations. High points for Marian celebrations include: Mary's birthday (September 8), Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12), Our Lady of Lourdes (Feb. 11), the Annunciation (March 25), and May Crowning. During the month of October, elementary and middle school students pray the Rosary with greater frequency.
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PTO News
Box Tops for Education - Have you sent yours in yet?
It's time to start sending in all the box tops you have collected over the summer. Each box top you send in helps raise money for our school! Please check the expiration date on your box tops and then send them in an envelope or Ziploc bag with your child's name, teacher and the total number of box tops. There will be a collection bin on the bookshelf outside the office and anotherone on the lower level. The classroom that collects the most box tops by Oct. 21 will win an extra 15 minutes of recess! Also the 5 students who send in the most box tops will get to eat lunch with Mr. Teller! If you have any questions please feel free to contact Kim Gates.
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Volunteer News
Thank you, Walkathon volunteers!
What a great day we enjoyed during our Walkathon la st Thursday! Beautiful fall weather ushered in a day full of energy, enthusiasm, and joy. Many parents, grandparents, and friends of the school walked with our students on behalf of our school.
Many thanks to Mary Anne Tankersley, our Walkathon coordinator, and to a host of other volunteers who made the day run so smoothly. We are still tallying the financial results from the event and will share those shortly.
A few results:
Brandon Speiss (7th grade) walked/ran the most laps, totaling 10 miles!
Benner Rogers (kindergarten) was our top fund rasier.
Class averages for laps walked:
6-9 students: 17 (4.25 miles/student)
9-12 students 20.5 (5 miles/student)
Middle School 20.12 (5 miles/student)
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| Office News
Building Hours
Please note that our building will be locked as of 3:45 p.m. each day. Also, students should not use the lower Berwick St. entrance doors at any time after 3:00 p.m. We want to be sure these doors remain locked. Please remember that students staying after hours should always be under adult supervision.
School Directories- Have You Checked Yours? Please check the information we have for you in our school director y and call or email the corrections/additions to Nancy Toon ntoon@gscmontessori.org. The addendum will be created soon and we would like to have all additions and corrections in it. A copy will then be sent home by backpack mail to each family to insert in their school directory.
Book Club for Fun Starts Tomorrow!
The first GSCM Parent Book Club is having its first meeting TOMMORROW, at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the book Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. You do not need to commit to attending and reading the book each month if you'd like to participate. Drop in any month you can! This book club was created to get parents together to visit and share enjoyable books. Come and get to know more parents! Stop in any month for a no-pressure book discussion. The Book Club will meet at Dinese Young's home. RSVP to Dinese Young, dyoung5281@gmail.com.
Earn Free Materials from Montessori Services for the School
Families of students in pre-K through 2nd grade should have received a "for Smallhands" catalog by backpack mail last week. Montessori Services who puts out this catalog is running a promotion from September 1st through December 31st where our school can receive 10% credit from any order that is placed using our customer number as the recipient during that time. Our customer number is 117172. If you are planning on placing an order, please remember to give them our customer number. Thank you.
Canned Meat Collection Thurs., Oct. 20th
Our next collection of food for Inter Parish Ministry will be Thursday, October 20th. This month we will be collecting any kind of canned meat. This would include tuna, chicken, hash, spam, or chili. As always, your donation can be brought in a day or two early and placed in a marked box by the office. If you forget on Thursday, you can bring it to the office on Friday, but no later.
Thank you for helping support this very important cause, and thank you for teaching your children the importance of giving.
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Debra Shepard, the photographer who took the school photos, is once again offering Family Days at some of the local parks. Family Days are ½ hr photo shoots at discounted session fees and she's donating a portion of the session fees back to The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori. Please contact Debra at 513-706-6881 if you are interested in getting further information.
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Sports News
Calling all GSCM Girls Grades 3-8!!
St Cecilia needs basketball players to fill their girl teams. St Cecilia is located in Oakley. Practices will begin in November and games in December. Want to join the team? Pick up a form from Nancy in the office. Need more details? Call Mike Muse at 641-8335.
GIRLS CYO VOLLEYBALL
In the last few years, our girls have developed an enthusiastic volleyball program together with Prince of Peace school. This year, Prince of Peace will be joining with a different school, so we are left without a partner. We absolutely want to continue to provide a vibrant volleyball program. Our plan this year is to field at least three teams: 8th Grade, 6-7th Grades Joint Team, 4-5th Grades Joint Team. We also want to know whether there are enough 3rd graders interested in playing.
If you're on the fence, jump right in. This has been such an enjoyable, community building time, not just for the girls, but for the families, who get to bond in gyms all over Cincinnati most Saturdays in winter! There's even the occasional pizza party!
Please email one of the following individuals if you are interested in joining one of these teams.
8th Grade: Shannon Lotterer (shannon.lotterer@fuse.net)
6-7th Grade: Mary Rieke (mary.rieke@gmail.com)
4-5th Grade: Jennifer Cavill (tomjencav@gmail.com)
WE ARE IN NEED OF A PRACTICE GYM! If you know of a gym that might be able to provide practice times for us during the week, please inform one of the individuals listed above.
WE ARE IN NEED OF COACHES. Please let us know if you can help coach or if you have an older sibling, niece, neighbor, who can help coach.
We will have a kick-off meeting THIS Saturday, October 15, at 1:00 at Hahana Beach in Mariemont. Bring your kids so they can get a little playing time.
Sports Opportunities at Nothin' But Net
Nothin' But Net is an indoor sports complex in Mt. Carmel that offers several opportunities for children's sports. A summary of information is below. For more information, contact Dan Albrinck at danalbrinck@live.com or 528-1000. Their website address is www.nbnsportscomplex.com.
Basketball Leagues
Serves preschool through adult, year-round. Register as a team. Next session begins December 3, with registration due by November 12. Cost is $300/team for 10 games plus a tournament (ref fees are additional).
Registration deadline for preschool only is October 10.
Indoor Soccer
Winter leagues only. Teams serving U8 to U18.
If you cannot organize an entire team, you have two options:
- Register as a team (as long as you have the minimum number of players), and then pick up additional players from their bulletin board listings of individuals looking for a team.
- Post your name on their bulletin board (see above) as an individual seeking a team.
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