"The groups preceding Him as well as those following kept crying out: 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' "

Matthew 21:9

We are in "Holy Week."  The Lord wants this week to be unlike any other week in our lives - a week of grace, sorrow, repentance, and love.  The week begins with the praises of Palm Sunday, changes into the screams of the crucifixion, and ends with the dead silence of the tomb.  Throughout the week, we hear the sounds of crying, whipping, hammering, and blaspheming.  The sounds of Holy Week are piercing and thunderous.  "Jesus cried out in a loud voice, and then gave up His spirit.  Suddenly the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.  The earth quaked, boulders split, tombs opened"  (Mt 27:50- 52).

Eventually the roar subsides, and it's our turn to join the choir.  What sound will we make?  Will we be sound asleep? (Mt 26:43)  Or will we betray Jesus with a quiet kiss?  Will we cry: "Crucify Him"? (Mt 27:23)  Or will we make an act of faith and say: "Clearly this was the Son of God!" (Mt 27:54)

The Lord God will give us a well-trained tongue to speak to the crucified Jesus a word that will proclaim His resurrection and His divinity (see Is 50:4).  Dare to hear the sounds of Holy Week.  Make the sounds of loving praise and faith-filled commitment.  Jesus listens for you.

Palm Sunday Meditation from

Upcoming Dates

Wed., April 16   :           Lower Elementary Last Supper Celebrations

Wednesday, April 16     Middle School Seder Celebration

Tue/Thur, April 15/17      Upper Elementary Last Supper/Seder Celebrations

Thursday, April 17         Pre-primary Last Supper Celebrations

Friday, April 18              GOOD FRIDAY, No School

Sunday, April 20          Happy Easter!  He is risen!!!

April 21-25                    Easter Vacation

Thursday, May 1 Liturgy of Light Celebrations (parents invited!)

Students are invited to wear dressy out-of uniform clothing.

            8:30      3-6St. Gabriel and 9-12C                                            

            9:30      3-6St. Michael and 9-12G                                             10:30      3-6St. Raphael and 6-9Fatima   

          11:30       6-9Lourdes and Queen of Angels                                 

Other Upcoming Dates

Thursday, May 1            First Communion Parent Meeting

Monday, May 5              Blizzard Bag assignments due

May 7-10                       First Communion Retreat

Saturday, May 10           First Holy Communion Mass, 10:00 a.m.

Tuesday, May 13            May Crowning

May 19-23                     GSCM Fine Arts Fair Exhibition

Liturgy of the Light:  Thursday, May 1

Parents and Grandparents Invited!

The Liturgy of the Light is a beautiful celebration of the Resurrection that is designed especially for children.  The celebration includes readings by the children, plenty of singing, and powerful signs from the Church's Easter Vigil:  the paschal candle leading us with its one light through the darkness, the spreading of this light to each of us, and the brightening of the dark room as the light of Jesus spreads. 

The Liturgy of the Light is one of the most memorable atrium experiences for the children.  Celebrations will be held during the school day.  Parents and grandparents who wish to join us for this solemn, joyful celebration are invited to attend as well.  Celebration times are listed above.   

Children are invited to wear attractive, out-of-uniform clothing

in honor of our Easter celebration.  No jeans, t-shirts, or light-up shoes.Girls should wear pants, not long dresses.

"The children live the proclamation of the death and resurrection especially in the Liturgy of Light, which, through the contrast between darkness and light, involves us dramatically in the fundamental event in the Good Shepherd's life."

Sofia Cavalletti, The Religious Potential of the Child

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GSCM Fine Arts Fair:  May 19-23

The Fine Arts Fair, originally scheduled for April 11, will be presented with a new format during the week of May 19.  During the entire week of May 19, students' visual artwork will be on display in our Fine Arts Center.  The Center will be open after school each day for students and parents to tour and view the art.  Student docents will be on hand as guides.

Volunteers Needed to Mount/Display Art:  May 15, 16, 19 after school

 Shannon Treier, our art teacher, is seeking volunteers to help display the children's art work.  As you can imagine, this is quite a big task, but it is so exciting and affirming for the children to see their art on display. 

Shannon needs help mounting and displaying art work at these times:

• Thurs/Fri., May 15/16, 2:45-3:45 (or as long as you can stay)
• Mon., May 19:  2:45-3:45 (or as long as you can stay)

Elementary and middle school children can also assist.  Please contact Shannon Treier at streier@gscmontessori.org.

ReSource Classroom Makeover Competition

ReSource announced that the winner of the Spring Makeover Contest is Mt. Healthy Alliance.  The organization shared this statement:

We are disappointed that the online voting phase didn't work out as planned. There were obviously voting issues that couldn't be resolved so we decided that the best thing to do was to eliminate that portion of the selection process. We went back to our judges' numerical scores and determined the winner by the highest score.   We appreciate your enthusiastic participation and the wonderful response from your school community. 

GSCM congratulates Mt. Healthy Alliance and continues to thank ReSource for their helpful and broad range of services to the local non-profit community.  One GSCM parent shared the following during the voting:    "My daughter asked if she could use her vote for one of the other organizations because she felt sorry for them not having many people vote for them.  She thought it would be awesome to win the contest; but it would be ok too if we don't, because the kids in the picture looked like they needed some things."  We are glad that the lives of those served by Mt. Healthy Alliance will be enhanced through the ReSource Makeover.

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Montessori Moments

The Cracks in Jesus' Feet

By Lindsey Schmitt, 3-6 Directress

"Why are there cracks on Jesus' feet?"  Owen asked me this question in the middle of a moveable alphabet lesson. We were sounding out the word 'hat'. As he was practicing finger-spelling the three sounds, his eyes shifted over to the prayer table, which is placed almost in the center of the classroom.  One of the children had placed a picture of Jesus' crucifixion on a stand in the center of the prayer table. Owen was staring at his feet.

As I carefully answered this question about Jesus crucifixion, my mind was racing with thoughts.  Perhaps some people don't believe these images are suited for younger children. Perhaps some people would try to shelter their child from the truth of Jesus' suffering.  Perhaps some of us were raised with these same images, which then formed our early understanding of Jesus' death and resurrection.  What should a young child of 3 to 6 years of age understand about the Passion of Christ?

The most constant and comforting thought that I answered Owen with is the power behind His Resurrection.  In the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd training, the catechist learns that we never announce His death to the children without also announcing Jesus' Resurrection.

During the time of Lent, the children in the Pre-Primary class have lessons on Jesus' Last Supper, also called "The Cenacle," and "The City of Jerusalem," which is a narrative of the major events leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  This work culminates in the child's reenactment of Jesus' Last Supper during Holy Week. 

"That is where Jesus was nailed to the cross when he was crucified . . .but we also know that three days later his body was no longer in the tomb.  He had risen.  His life was stronger than death. He was alive."

I tried to keep the answer truthful and concise. I did not want to gloss over the suffering of Jesus' crucifixion, yet I wanted to shift the focus to the power and glory of God. 

Did I mention that this Montessori moment happened on Ash Wednesday? Yes, there was a purple cloth on our prayer table for the first time since Advent. We had not discussed Ash Wednesday as a group yet because it was still individual work time. 

Later on that same morning, we discussed Lent and the concept of "making room for God" by taking something out of our lives. We used the concrete representation of a glass bowl full of purple and black pom poms (small cotton balls). Each ball represented something we do every day. The children could easily see how their day fills up with activities and choices and leaves little room for God.  As I invited the children up to the prayer table to pray, I suggested they could take something out of the bowl and think about what they might be able to "give up."  What happened spontaneously, I will never forget.  As they came up one by one in their own unique expression, each child placed a ball at the very foot of Jesus on the cross. They could have placed it anywhere on the prayer table, but they chose to put it at His feet. The feet with "cracks" was now surrounded with the children's Lenten sacrifices. 

Program News

Calamity Days Make-Up Plan:  Blizzard Bags, April 17-May 5

Blizzard Bags are packets of required work that students must complete in lieu of our two excess calamity days.  For kindergarten and grade school students, your classroom teacher should have sent your child's Blizzard Bag via email last Friday, April 11.  The work should be completed between April 17 and May 5 and is due no later than Monday, May 5.  If for some reason you did not receive the Blizzard Bag email for your child(ren), please contact their teacher.   

Please note that per the law, this is not 'optional' school work, but is a required part of the year's course of study.   Work will be checked and (as appropriate) graded as required work.

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Office News:

GSCM Garage Sale:  We Need Items to Sell!

On Saturday June 14 from 8:00 a.m. to Noon we are having our Second School Wide Garage Sale.  From now through June 6th, we are accepting the following (clean and in proper working condition, suitable for resale) Household Items. Furniture, Toys, Clothes, Books, Sports Equipment

Please drop off your tax deductible donations any school day May 5 - June 6, between 7:45 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the two-door garage located near the Middle School behind the Church.  There will be a charitable receipt for you to take for tax purposes near the door. 

If you need to coordinate a different time for dropping things off, or have any questions about your items, OR if you can help out with organizing / advertising, please contact Eileen Myers emyers@gscmontessori.org or 513-675-2931.  We can also arrange a pick up for larger items if needed.

Yearbook

Yearbook order forms should have come home to you last week by backpack mail.  This year there are 2 ways to pay for your yearbook:  you can order online at www.schoolannual.com or you can complete the order form and return cash/check in the attached envelope.

We do not order extra yearbooks so if you want a yearbook, you must pre-order it by the deadline of May 9.  Yearbook prices have not changed: 1 yearbook is 25.00, 2 are 22.00 each and 3 are 20.00 each.  If you have any questions, contact Mary Rieke.

Time to Re-Enroll (or enroll) in Kroger Community Rewards

GSCM earns about $3500 per year with just 58 households participating.  If you are one of those households, it is time to re-enroll.  YOU MUST RE-ENROLL EVERY YEAR.   If you have not enrolled and shop at Kroger, please do so!  It only takes 10 seconds and GSCM gets money every time you shop.   Family and friends inside or outside of Cincinnati can also select GSCM.  Go to www.krogercommunityrewards.com to sign up.  It is easy, confidential, and free.  If you have questions contact Nicolay Walz at nicolay.walz@gmail.com

Additional Note:  Make sure that your "preferred store" is the Kroger where you generally shop as we only receive rewards if you are shopping at the store that you have listed as your "preferred store". 

Update: Shampoo Collection

Our collection for Inter Parish Ministry's pantry last week brought in 44 bottles of shampoo.  Thank you for filling an immediate need at the pantry.

Our final collection for the school year will be Wednesday, May 21^st.

Plants Available

As we prepare for our summer "backyard" work, we will have perennial plants to give away.  The plants surrounding the church building and in the corner garden by the school will be replaced.  If you would like to have any plants later this spring, please contact Dan Teller.

2015 Rome Pilgrimage

Space remains for the 2015 Pilgrimage to Rome (with stops in Assisi, Florence, and Orvieto).  Visit the pilgrimage website for updated information:  Falconsinrome.wordpress.com

For more information or if you have questions, please contact GSCM parent, Sean Burns umpsean@gmail.com

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PTO News:

PTO Board Members Needed for 2014-15

From Lisa Schmitz current PTO President

Do you enjoy learning about our school, meeting new people and being a "good shepherd?"  The PTO Board is a small group which meets monthly to plan and discuss upcoming events.  We also implement new ideas and fund various important events throughout the school year.

We have (5) board positions that need to be filled for the continued success of the PTO next school year.

Open positions:  Vice President, Secretary, Celebrations Chair, Community Outreach Chair, Arts & Education Chair

Please prayerfully consider joining us at our next PTO meeting, (note, new date) Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at 8:15 am in the Music Room to learn more or contact any of the board members listed below.

Current Board Members:

Lisa Schmitz:                lbschmitz61@gmail.com

Jane Koenig:                 dnjnkn@msn.com

Maria Lang:                   mlang31@cinci.rr.com

Nicolay Walz:                nicolay.walz@gmail.com

Carrie Ellis:                   carrielynnellis@yahoo.com

Christine Godar:            chiristinegodar@hotmail.com

Sheri Mitchell:               sheri.mitchell@verbargsfurnniture.com

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