"May today there be peace within.

May you trust God that you are exactly  

where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received,

and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be content knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones,

and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for each and every one of us."

St. Therese of Lisieux

October 1 is her feast day.

Upcoming Dates

Wed., Oct. 1      Lower Elementary Parent Education Evening, 7:00 p.m.

Thurs., Oct. 9     Walkathon and Fall Carnival 

                           1:00 p.m. Early Dismissal

                           Carnival 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 10        NO SCHOOL Staff In-Service Day

Tue., Oct. 21       Mass of Intention for First Communicants, 5:30 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 24        Grandparents/Special Friends Day

TOMORROW NIGHT:

Lower Elementary Parent Education Evening

"Give the World to the Child":  Montessori Cultural Studies

Wednesday, October 1, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Parents Only (Pre-Primary parents, please feel free to join us!)

Our lower elementary teachers will present an overview of our three-year cultural cycle at our upcoming Parent Education Evening:  "Give the World to the Child."   Curriculum integration is a defining characteristic of Montessori Education, and the "Montessori cultural curriculum" beautifully integrates all subjects,

In her book, From Childhood to Adolescence, Dr. Montessori says, "Let us give the world to the child."  She says, further, that we should "sow the seeds of all sciences when the child has a special sensitive period for imagination. (6-12 years)

Please join us for the wonderful opportunity to see many of the cultural materials that your child will experience in the lower elementary.   This parent night is open to current 6-9 parents as well as pre-primary parents who are interested in the lower elementary curriculum.

Grandparents/Special Friends Day:  Friday, October 24

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 and an atrium open house 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

Invitations and RSVP procedures will be shared with our families soon!

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The Annual GSCM Walkathon and Carnival, Thursday, October 9

Walk:  9:00 - 11:00 a.m.

Awards and Prizes:  11:30 a.m.

Early Dismissal:  1:00 p.m.

Carnival:  6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

The Walkathon - Updates and Important Information

The Walkathon fundraising competition is fierce.  On Friday, students turned in over $2,000 in donations, well on the way to the goal of raising $7,500 in order to have the Water Gun Battle with Mr. Teller.

The classroom totals are as follows:

Guadalupe (Griffin) - $433.32

Fatima - $417.50  

Lourdes - $256

Guadalupe (Cameron) - $205

St. Michael - $204

Queen of Angels - $199  

St. Raphael - $165

St. Gabriel - $164.50

Thursday, October 2. Students who turn in $100 or more in donations by that date will win an exclusive GSCM tie-dye t-shirt and the classroom that raises the most money by that date wins a donut breakfast after Mass on Friday, October 3. 

Many parents are using the Join Me Fundraising option to help their children garner Walkathon sponsors. You can create a personal page just for your child(ren) and email it to family and friends or send it out through social media.  It is easy to use. Check it out at https://gscmontessori.ejoinme.org/joinme.

Don't forget to order a Walkagram to encourage the students while they walk.  Walkagrams are only $15 and can be ordered at https://gscmontessori.ejoinme.org/walkathonwalkagrams.   

We will count $10 of every $15 walkagram purchase towards a student's individual fundraising account.   There is now a place on the Walkagram order form - online - to specify which student to credit.

Want to be part of the excitement on October 9?  We really need people to sign up to help at the Walkathon and/or Carnival.  At this point, if we don't get more volunteers by this Friday, the popular Carnival will be canceled.  Sign up at http://vols.pt/1PdNF8.

Walkathon and Food Allergies

Please note we will be serving Servatii's nut-free cookies at our walkathon.  We only serve nut-free products at school-wide events.  However, these cookies have not been made in nut-free facility.  We do not have any allergy plans on hand that indicate a serve nut allergy that prevents us from serving nut-free cookies made in a facility that handles nuts.

Please contact Jana Widmeyer (jwidmeyer@gscmontessori.org) with any questions or concerns.

Tuition Credit for Pre-Primary Referrals

Refer a new family to our pre-primary program and receive a $300-500 credit towards your 2015-16 tuition!

·         If a current GSCM family refers a new family  to our school, and if that family enrolls in the Pre-Primary (preschool/kindergarten) program, the referring GSCM family receives the following tuition credit for 2015-16:

o    Five-day preschool or full-day kindergarten:  $500 tuition credit

o    Three- or four-day preschool:  $300 tuition credit

·         Conditions:

o    The new family must indicate on the application the referring family's name in the "How did you hear about GSCM" section.

o    The tuition credit is on a per new family (not a per new student) basis.

o    The tuition credit is applicable for new families enrolling for the current 2014-15 or the upcoming 2015-16 school year.

o    This incentive is applicable to new enrollees as of 10/1/14.

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Montessori Moment

byJenny Griffin 9-12 Math/Science teacher

Have you lived one million hours?  It is an interesting question.  The answer relies on your math skills and ability to problem solve.  This question came up recently in the upper elementary classroom because a sixth grader, who had "finished" his weekly assignments, found a card work on the shelf.  The work was typically used to enrich, support and challenge student math skills when weekly expectations were accomplished.  He searched it out on his own and asked if he could figure it out.  Once given the go ahead, he went about solving it with minimal teacher support.  He had to figure out how many years are in a million hours and then compare that to his own age.  After he finished his calculations I asked him to present his work in such a way that the class could see how he solved the problem.  I also asked him to follow through by making his paper visually pleasing with a border, title and colorful graphics.  It was reassuring to not only see his final product but to observe his choices and execution of work habit that particular day. 

The upper elementary Montessori classroom is a highly organized, structured environment in which freedom exists.  This idea of freedom and order can be witnessed large and small, over and over again in the 9-12 environment.  The freedom and order go hand in hand to allow the child to develop discipline.   "We call an individual disciplined when he is the master of himself and can therefore regulate his conduct when it shall be necessary to follow some rule of conduct." (Maria Montessori)The discipline our sixth grader demonstrated by executing this enrichment was the culmination of years of Montessori pedagogy.  Being "finished" with all his work was an opportunity to be challenged.  He knew the classroom expectation was to work and not to disturb others who were working.  He had to determine what he was going to do with this extra time.  Once the question of "have you lived a million hours"was determined he wasn't "done."  He was able to create a beautiful presentation from his notes.  So have you lived a million hours?  Have fun figuring it out!

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PTO News

Thank You to all Who Are Turning in Boxtops For Education!!

We will be collecting Boxtops until Monday, October 13th so keep clipping!! 

One lucky homeroom will receive a special treat for collecting the most Boxtops.

Right now our top three homerooms are:

#1         Our Lady of Fatima (Leopardi/Scuglik)

#2         St. Raphael (Mrs. Damico)

#3         Our Lady of Guadalupe (Mrs. Griffin)

Thanks again for clipping! 

Please remember to check the expiration dates on your boxtops.  Also, we only collect Boxtops For Education.  There is another boxtop-like program called Labels for Education.  At this time, we do not participate in that program.

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