Parent Information Nights:

Tues., Jan. 22               Lower Elementary Information Night, 7:00 p.m.

Thurs., Jan. 24              Middle School Information Night, 7:00 p.m.

Other Important Events:

Fri., Jan. 25                  Lower Elementary Drama, 6:30 p.m.

Sun., Jan. 27                GSCM Open House, 1:00-4:00 p.m.

Jan.28 - Feb. 1             Catholic Schools Week (See Calendar Below)

                                    PENNY WAR FOR HANDS TOGETHER

Mon., Jan. 28                Eucharistic Adoration, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Thurs., Jan. 31              First Communion Parent Meeting, 6:00 p.m.

Thurs., Jan. 31              3rd Annual GSCM Talent Show, 7:00 p.m.

Tues., Feb. 5                 First Communicants Mass of Enrollment, 8:15 a.m.

Wed., Feb. 13               Ash Wednesday, 8:15 Mass

Fri., Feb. 15                  End of Second Trimester

Other Important Dates:

Jan. 22-Feb. 8               Priority Registration Period for 2013-14

March 4                        Financial Aid Application Deadline

"You Can Be What You Want to Be: The Life of Maria Montessori" 

Friday, January 25, 6:30 p.m.

The Lower Elementary Drama Club presents "You Can Be What You Want to Be," a play about the  life of Maria Montessori.  Ticket price:  $3.00

During the production, there will be child care in the St. Joseph House for all children 3 and under.  The cost for child care is $3.00 per child. Please make your reservations for childcare.

GSCM Open House:   Sunday, Jan. 27, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori Open House is on Sunday January 27, from 1:00-4:00pm.    There are three ways to help showcase our special school:

 1)  Help spread the word.  You will be receiving an email invitation this week.  Please forward to your contacts, your church, daycare or playgroups.   Even if your friends are past the search stage, they may know someone who is looking. Just pass along FYI.  This has been our most effective marketing tool

2)  Volunteer at Open House on 1/27.  

3)  Put up yard signs.  If your business is in a high traffic area or if you can showcase our school with a sign in your yard, please let us know.  Signs are available for pickup.They are located outside the office.  Please sign them out on the paper on the bulletin board.

Please email Susan Fisher if you would like to help out this year, or if you have any ideas for how to better showcase GSCM.scfisher@mac.com  

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2013-14 Registration Information

Registration materials for 2013-14 are being mailed to all families today via U.S. Mail. You should receive your registration material by Thursday.

Priority Registration Period for 2013-14: January 22-February 8

The priority registration period for the 2013-14 school year will run from January 22 through February 8. During this time, current GSCM students may re-register and their siblings may apply for acceptance for 2013-14. We reserve enrollment for all current students and give priority consideration for all sibling applications through February 8. After that date, openings are no longer reserved but are offered to new applicants. Re-enrollment forms and tuition information will be sent home on Tuesday, January 22 and will also be available on line at  www.gscmontessori.org.

Financial Aid Application Process for 2013-14 School Year

The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori offers a financial aid program for current and incoming students. To apply for financial aid for the 2013-14 school year, parents must submit a financial aid application to Private School Aid Service by Friday, March 4. By mid-April, GSCM will notify parents of the amount of aid (if any) they will receive from the school. Financial aid applications are available from Lynette Rosati Shim in the school office and can be downloaded from our website, www.gscmontessori.org. Go to "Admissions/Financial Aid." If you have any questions, please contact Lynette Rosati Shim in the school office. 

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Information Nights for Parents

Walk-ins are still welcome for the Lower El and Middle School Information Nights as there have been enough RSVP's to have these events

Upper Elementary Information Session: Cancelled

  Due to lack of RSVP's this session has been cancelled 

Middle School Information Night: Thurs. Jan. 24, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

• Curriculum and Montessori Principles:
• High School Preparation:
• Religious Education in the Middle School
• Questions and Answers

3rd Annual GSCM Talent Show

Thursday, January 31, 2012, 7:00 pm

Sponsored by the GSCM PTO

Singing, Dancing, Musical Instruments, Poems, Story Telling. What is your child's talent? Be sure they sign up to be in the show.

The deadline is rapidly approaching to submit acts for the 3rd Annual GSCM Talent Show. All families should have received a brightly colored registration form sent home earlier by backpack mail. If you did not get one, extras are in the school office or email Jana Widmeyer at  jwidmeyer@gscmontessori.org.

• Grade school students will begin the week in worship before our Lord in Eucharistic Adoration.
• DRESS - UP DAY: Students may wear dressy non-uniform clothes to school.

• Students will share expressions of appreciation towards their teachers.
• Favorite character dress: Students are invited to dress as their favorite character from a book or movie!

 Thursday, January 31: School Spirit Day

• Whole school recess and pep rally.
• Classes will prepare their own original GSCM cheer to share with the school at the end of the day. The most original and spirited cheer will win a prize!
• Students will prepare special thank you cards to GSCM supporters, with an expression of gratitude for the gift of their special school.
• Spirit Wear/Jersey Day:
  Wear GSCM school spirit wear to show your school spirit, or team and club jerseys/shirts.

Friday, February 1: Student Appreciation Day

• All School Skating Party, 12:15-2:15 p.m.!!!
• Crazy Hair and Hat Day: In addition to out-of-uniform clothing, students can wear their favorite hats and sport a crazy hair-do at school for a day!

Eucharistic Adoration: Monday, Jan. 28

We will begin our Catholic Schools Week celebration by adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Our schedule is below, and parents are welcome to join us in our worship:

                10:00-10:30         Lower Elementary

                10:30-11:00         Upper El/Middle School

Parent Appreciation Brunch: Tuesday, Jan. 29, 9:15-10:30 a.m.

Tuesday, January 29 is Parent Appreciation Day for Catholic Schools Week. Our staff would like to host you, our parents, for an appreciation brunch in the atrium following Mass. Please join us for good food, fresh coffee, and friendly conversation. We want to let you know how much we appreciate being your partners in your children's formation and education!

K-8 Skating Party: Fri., Feb. 1: PERMISSION SLIPS REQUIRED

This year, all students will have bus transportation to and from the skating party on Feb. 1. Permission slips are coming home this week. Please note that, per insurance regulations and the bus company, all students must have a signed permission slip. An email message will not be sufficient. Signed permission slips may be sent in by hard copy or may be scanned and emailed. Even if a student has paid for the trip, if we do not have a signed permission slip, the student cannot travel on the bus.

For the past nine years, our school has sponsored two children through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. This year, the recipient of the Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori School's Penny War will be Hands Together, an organization that works with the poorest of the poor in Haiti. Led by Father Tom Hagan, Hands Together provides education and free hot meals to children in an area of Port-au-Prince called Cite Soleil which is built on a garbage dump. Hands Together has so far succeeded in providing Cite Soleil with 8 campuses (including a high school), an elderly outreach program, a free clinic and hope for the future. We will be raising money to help improve school classrooms and add learning materials like maps and charts and basic hand outs. The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori is excited to help this amazing organization continue their charitable work of responding to the needs of the less fortunate. If you'd like to know more about this organization and its important work, go to www.handstogether.org.

Here's how the Penny War works: Classrooms compete against each other to collect the most pennies. A child may bring in pennies and add them to his or her classroom's collection. BUT... if a child brings in other coins (nickels, dimes, quarters), he/she may go to another classroom and swap out his/her coins for that classroom's pennies. The classroom with the most PENNIES wins - not the most money.

There is a $1.00 per student per day limit. The exchanges take place during the first ten minutes of each morning.

At the end of the Penny War, the money will be counted and the winning classroom will be treated to a class treat courtesy of Servatii's Bakery. The money will be sent to Hands Together.

If you would like to help out for 10 minutes each or any of the mornings during the exchanges, please let your child's teacher know. GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

We've moved from a Sad Child to the Thumbs Up Boy. Help us get to the Happy Girl.  

Please contact our Development Office at 271-0205 with any questions or to learn more about our Annual Fund.  Additional Annual Fund Response Envelopes are available in the office.   Thank you!

A.         The Annual Fund is an appeal to our school community to support GSCM's mission.

Q,         How can I participate in the Annual Appeal?

A,         Participation comes in 3 ways - and all are important:

1. Prayer. Commit to daily prayer for the school, its staff and students. For some, this may be through praying the rosary. For others, it could be offering a Mass intention for the school.
2. Volunteering. We can always use help in the development office - research, computer skills, artistic talent, grant writing.
3. Financial. The annual fund also provides an avenue for bridging the gap between tuition and the cost of education. Some families can afford to make a large donation. Other may not. Every gift is appreciated and no gift is too small.

Q.         Am I expected to give, pray and volunteer?

A,         Some people may want to participate in more than one manner. We hope that every family will show their support of GSCM in one of these ways.

Q.         How many have participated so far?

A.         Since we kicked off the Annual Fund at the Jamboree in November, 31% of our families have responded. We have raised $26,000 and several have committed to extra prayers for the school.

Q,         What should I do to show my support?

A,         Annual Fund Response Forms are available in the office and on our website, www.gscmontessori.org. For additional information, contact Jana Widmeyer at 271-0205 or jwidmeyer@gscmontessori.org.

Interested in Exploring Catholicism?

Have you been away from the Church? Are you considering becoming Catholic? We can help. The Archdiocese of Cincinnatiis currently reaching out to fallen-away Catholics as well as non-Catholics interested in the Catholic Church. The "Coming Home" outreach invites you to contact the Archdiocese at this address. Someone will be back in touch with you:

  http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/being-catholic/catholics-come-home/

If you would like to speak personally with someone at our school, feel free to contact

            Dan Teller (dteller@gscmontessori.org)

            Jana Widmeyer (jwidmeyer@gscmontessori.org )

One of us can speak with you, or we can direct you to another member of our community who can do so.