"Hail the Lord,

He has been good to me. 

He has food for me when I need it. 

He gives me shelter when I want it. 

But most of all

He wants nothing in return

but our LOVE."

Atrium prayer, 8-year old child.

Oct. 21-25         GSCM Book Fair

Fri., Oct. 25       Grandparents/Special Friends Day  

Fri, Nov. 1          All Saints' Day Mass and Eucharistic Procession,  

                         8:15 - 9:45 a.m. 

Fri, Nov. 1          Mom's Scripture Group, 10:00 a.m.

Tues., Nov. 5      First Tuesday "Montessori Language", 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Thurs., Nov. 7     Parent-Child Evening, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Fri. Nov. 8          Oratory Festival Finale, 1:30 p.m.

Fri. Nov. 8          End of First Trimester

Mom's Scripture Meditation Group

Fridays, Oct. 18; Nov. 1, 15; Dec. 6; 9:15-11:15 a.m.

In church following Mass.

Please join us every first and third Friday of the month after morning Mass to meditate on Scripture and enjoy sharing with each other.    This group is open to all mothers regardless of faith denomination.  Any questions, email Karen at ekguilford@fuse.net

WALKATHON 2013 , ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS

Congratulations to our GSCM students who together raised over $12,000 for our school at last week's Walkathon, doubling the goal set by Mr. Teller.  True to his word, Mr. Teller engaged in an all school water gun battle with students to celebrate their fundraising accomplishment.

In addition to raising a record amount of money, the students walked a total of 3556 laps which equals just about 889 miles.   Kudos to 7^th grader Alec Hamall who like last year walked the most laps.  Thank you to Jenny Dammarell and her team for the great organization and motivational incentives that made student participation so dynamic. 

The student's fundraising and the generous sponsorships from businesses brought our Walkathon fundraising total to $20,000!  We are grateful to Monica Blackburn for chairing the Business Sponsorships.

Please patronize our sponsors and thank them for supporting our school.   Sponsors are listed in this newsletter and on postcards available at school.  Let's support those businesses that support our school!

That night's Carnival was lots of fun for parents and children alike.  Thank you to all who attended, helped and contributed.   Special thanks to Sara Vonderwish and Melissa Grantadam for overseeing the food and games.

Do you have ideas or suggestions for next year's Walkathon and Carnival?  Please send your comments to Jana Widmeyer jwidmeyer@gscmontessori.org.  Plans are in the works to make next year's events even better.  Want to be a part of the planning?  Let Jana know.

WANT A WALKATHON T-SHIRT?

Several parents expressed interest in obtaining a 2013 Walkathon t-shirt designed by Meghan Florkowski.  If you would like one, please send in your request with a $15 check made out to GSCM by October 22.  (Include your size.) and write walkathon t-shirt in the memo line on your check.

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Montessori Moments

Masters of Themselves

By Julia Damico, Pre-Primary Directress

Maria Montessori called a child disciplined when "he is master of himself, and can, therefore, regulate his own conduct when it shall become necessary to follow some rule of life." To become master of himself, a child then must be given freedom in his environment. If a child needs to learn to control and coordinate his movements, become socially adept, and live by life's rules, then he must have the freedom to practice these things. It also stands to reason that when a child chooses not to follow some rule of life that the natural consequences should prevail in order for the lesson to be learned.

Just last week, I observed that two small boys had undertaken the dish washing work. This is a long process work that includes retrieving water, adding soap, washing dishes, rinsing dishes, drying dishes, putting dishes away, and emptying the water. Both of these young boys had previously demonstrated the ability to perform this work.  This time, however, while there was some dish washing going on, they had definitely chosen to veer from the purpose of the work.

Before the work was set to rights the two boys had to mop and dry the floor, spent extra time wiping down the basins, dry their arms and legs, and replace all the linen from the work. Forty-five minutes after beginning the work, they were finished, but their shirts were wet.

Coincidentally, it was time to open the door to our outside area on that brisk fall day. They were one of the first to ask if they could go out. "I'm sorry, but it's too cold to be outside if you are wet. You'll need to stay in until you dry."  The next morning, they chose this work together again. I walked by as they were putting on their aprons and said, "We're going to be opening the door to go outside later."

The perfect ending to the story would be to say they completed the work perfectly this day. However, that was not the case, but they did spend less time being silly. On the previous day, I could have stopped their work at any time. But the boys knew the lesson and had chosen not to follow "some rule of life." Hence, consequences prevailed. This Montessori principle of self-discipline is a long, but extremely valuable process. And best experienced rather than imposed.

Program News

Parking and Traffic

Thank you for creating a safer environment for our children and families by adhering to the new parking/traffic guidelines distributed recently.  A few reminders/additional notes:

• The speed limit on our campus is 10 mph at all times.
• At 3:00 p.m. dismissal, all parents must park, exit their cars, and come to the front entrance to pick up their child.  Parents may not wait in idling vehicles for children to come to them.
• The speed limit on Roe St. and other neighborhood streets is 25 mph.  GSCM parents are asked to strictly adhere to the speed limit, for the safety of neighborhood residents.

Preschool Tuition Vouchers Available for Qualifying Families

The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori is participating in the Ohio Department of Education's Early Childhood Expansion Program.   In this program, the state of Ohio offers $4,000.00 tuition vouchers for 3- and 4-year old children from families whose income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.  These vouchers are available for immediate use.  To qualify, families must meet the economic criteria below and enroll by mid-November.  We have a limited number of vouchers available.

For more information, contact Dan Teller, Principal, 271-4171 or dteller@gscmontessori.org.  For more information about The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori, visit www.gscmontessori.org.

Number in Family/Household       Gross Annual Income

                                                    (200% of Federal Poverty Level)

1                                              $22,340

2                                              $30,260

3                                              $38,180

4                                              $46,100

5                                              $54,020

6                                              $61,940

7                                              $69,860

8                                              $77,780

For each additional person add: $7,920

Announcing "First Tuesdays:  Montessori 101"

Parent Education Opportunities

Our school is blessed with a treasure trove of ideas and practices arising from Montessori education and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) - ideas and practices that we want to share with you through a series of parent education events called "First Tuesdays:  Montessori 101."  These one-hour sessions will not only enrich your appreciation of your child's school experience, but also enhance your experience as a parent.

We have planned a series of six events for the duration of this school year.  The topics, dates and times are described below.  A more detailed description of our first event is in the dates section of our newsletter (above).  We are looking forward to exploring the wonderful world of Montessori education with you!

• Montessori Language:  November 5, 2013, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
• "Help Me Come Closer to God by Myself", December 3, 2013, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
• Montessori Practical Life, February 4, 2014, Time TBA
• The Sensorial Materials, March 4, 2014, Time TBA
• At Home with Montessori:  For Parents of 3-6 Year Olds, April 1, 2014, Time TBA
• Preparation for "Moving Up", Tuesday, May 6, Time TBA

Student Government Election Coming!

By Joan Ratajczak, Middle School Teacher

Campaign Speeches:  Week of October 21

Election:  Tuesday, October 29

The candidates for Student Government who put their desire to serve into action are:   Josh Junker, Luke Junker, Nicodemus Kaufman, Julia Lotterer, Alliah Bell, Camden Cavill, Thomas LeGouellec, Macaira Pucci

and Nick Widmeyer

Each of the lower elementary, upper elementary, and middle school students and teachers will have an opportunity to vote on candidates to serve and represent them in various activities such as the Food Pantry collection, holiday activities, Catholic Schools Week, and Helping Hands.  In addition, students from the lower and upper elementary will have representatives appointed by their teachers to serve each of one trimester.  The candidates for the various positions will be giving speeches in the classrooms highlighting their qualifications and willingness to serve others in elected office during the week of October 21. Student Government elections will be held on Tuesday, October 29th between 8 and 9 a.m.

Please pray for our candidates and for all those elected to government offices.