We respect others, our environment, and ourselves.
We pursue knowledge and do our best work.
We are responsible for our own actions.
We speak the truth in love.
This is how we love God
and love others.
Easy Ways to Raise
Money for GSCM:
Click here to register for Kroger Community Rewards Program.
Click here to register Target’s Red Card Rewards Program.
Click here to register for Amazon Smile. (Register under “Queen of Angels Montessori”)
The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori is dedicated to providing an outstanding education to children ages three to fourteen in a Catholic atmosphere faithful to the Magesterium of the Church. Using the philosophy and techniques of the Montessori approach, including religious education through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, our goal is to enable each child to develop as a well-integrated human being: spiritually, intellectually, socially, physically, and emotionally
A BIG THANK YOU to ourGold Sponsors for this school year for their generosity and support:
As part of Pope Francis’ visit, he will be the first pope to address a joint session of Congress. The Archdiocese has arranged for this historic speech to be broadcast on Fountain Square in Cincinnati, starting about 10 am this morning. The Archbishop has asked pastors to ring their church bells at that time and for all of us to stop and pray for our Church and our country. Although we are not able to ring our church bells, we will stop at 10 am and pray the following prayer composed by the Archbishop with the children. Please join us in prayer.
God of all peoples,
We give you thanks for your Son, Jesus Christ, whose final prayer for his disciples was, “that they may be one as we are one.”
We praise you for the gift of Pope Francis, our Holy Father, who has been given the historic opportunity to proclaim Your love and truth to the heart of our democracy.
We ask that his witness stir in our elected leaders and citizens across our country a renewal of unity in serving the common good of the entire human family. Let this day bring new possibilities…
For the protection of our religious freedom;
For the respect of all life from conception until natural death;
For the strengthening of our families, the foundation upon which our whole nation rests;
For feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and welcoming the migrant;
For forging racial harmony and seeking peace and solidarity in our communities and throughout the world;
For protecting the gift of creation, our common home.
May we always proclaim our faith in the public square and be a sign of Your love to all the wold. We ask for all these things through Jesus Christ our Lord, Light to all nations. Amen.
Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr, Archbishop of Cincinnati
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Upcoming Dates
Sept 23-25 Upper El Trip to Camp Kern Friday, Sept. 25 TOMORROW Middle School Car Wash Sept 28 – Oct 1 Middle School Odyssey Trip to Hico, WV Tuesday, Oct 6 First Communion Parent Meeting, 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 7 Lower Elementary Parent Session, 3:15 p.m.**
**Please note change in date and time
Friday, Oct 9 Walkathon, 1:00 p.m. early dismissal (staff development)
Middle School Car Wash Tomorrow The Middle School students will be washing cars (exteriors only)TOMORROW, September 25th, at 3:00 pm pickup. A minimum $5 donation is requested. Money raised will be used to offset the cost of this year’s middle school trip to HICO, West Virginia, and the Peace Trip this Spring. I have already checked the weather for Friday, and it looks good! So bring us your dirty cars! Thank you for your support!
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Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) Moments
True Happiness
by Kelly Clune, Middle School Catechist
Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. -Psalm 37:4
Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. -Matthew 5:8
But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. -1 Peter 4:13
Happiness. As the eighth grade students have found in studying The Beatitudes, Scripture is full of verses upon verses that seem to show us the ‘recipe of happiness’. Looking into the depths of the human heart, we will find that its deepest longing is for happiness and love. Everyone wants to be happy in this life, and Our Lord created us to experience precisely that: happiness, joy, completeness, purpose. The middle school students have been challenged to reflect upon their own desires and to dig deeper and to look harder at what they truly desire and how this happiness is achieved.
Seventh graders were asked to write out some of their life goals.
“Go to a good college”
“Become a doctor”
“Play soccer”
Ok, but why do you want to do these things?
“To learn more”
“To help people who are sick”
“So I can do something I’m good at and that I love”
And why do you want to do that?
“So I can contribute to the world”
“Because the world needs doctors”
“Because God gave me this talent”
The deeper we look into our desires, the more we find that they truly reflect not only our membership in the Universal Body of Christ, but also the Creator Himself. Our Lord put these desires in our hearts not for selfish reasons, but rather selfless reasons. We find through examining our longings that God created our hearts for service to others and to give Him glory. When we recognize this truth, and live our lives according to it, we will find the true happiness we were created for. We can experience satisfaction of the deepest longings of our hearts by seeking our Lord’s perfect will, and in living out what we find.
by Sheryl McCarthy, Middle School Math & Science Teacher
In the middle school, we continue to look at the bigger world around us. We continue to focus on being involved in hands-on work that connects the concepts that we have learned in the classroom with the larger world around us. We also continue to work on cooperation and working together.
The 8th graders began the year by studying Earth’s surface. We had a challenge before us that stated that local beaches were being eroded away by wave action. What could we design that would prevent further damage? The students were amazing to watch as they made various plans on their model beaches (using sand from the new playground which was carefully returned). Each small group designed a different solution, working together cooperatively and respecting one another’s ideas. After each group had a good solution, they also had to decide if it was aesthetically pleasing. Again, the discussion surrounding this issue was well-thought out and articulated. The students worked together beautifully to create a solution to an environmental problem that is typical in our world today.
At the Fall Jamboree, Dan Teller presented on the “State of the School.” The presentation included information on school finances, facilities, and strategic planning. If you did not attend and would like to see this information, we have posted the presentation on our websitehere.
In October, Mr. Teller will personally invite families who did not attend the Jamboree to short, small group meetings for an abbreviated presentation and an opportunity for discussion and Q & A about our school.
We kicked off the 2015 Walkathon with the students on Tuesday.
Everyone is excited!
Please check backpack mail for the bright yellow Walkathon Packet that has important dates, incentives and a sheet to log pledges/donations.
For more information about the Walkathon, please visit our Walkathon website: Click Here.
One of the most successful ways we have raised pledges/donations is by going to the Walkathon website and clicking on “Join Me Personal Fundraising Page”. There, your student can send a personal email to family and friends asking for a Walkathon donation.
We still need volunteers to help run the Walkathon! Please visit Volunteer Spot to sign up: Click Here.
Lastly, a huge THANK YOU to our Walkathon Sponsors!
Professional Payroll Services, Inc.Seeskin, Paas & Blackburn, Inc.
We have begun Year 2 of the Virtues in Practice program at GSCM. The focus this year is on the virtue of Hope and the related virtues. Each month the students not only study the virtues in the classroom, but are encouraged to extend their practice of these virtues in the world, starting with the home. To facilitate this, the program has suggested activities for each month on a Home Projects page which you can view on our website: http://goodshepherdm.sg-host.com/september-virtues-project/. Your child may have initiated a few of these at home already. You are invited to take a look and perhaps open a discussion with your child on the beauty and practice of virtue. This past Tuesday, the children met in small groups led by two students from the Middle School to learn more about Hope. They will continue to meet on the 4th Tuesday each month, so this may also give you a springboard to further discussion in your family.
Lower Elementary Parent Session, Wednesday Oct 7th
at 3:15 pm
Are you ready to learn more about the key elements of our language curriculum? Then please join us! The Guides will present a MOntessori Language Key Experince, an Orton Gillingham lesson, and a writing lesson using our Expanding Expressions Tool. Please RSVP to the office by Friday, Oct. 2nd to reserve your spot!
Mass Intentions
If you would like to offer one of our Friday masses for someone living or deceased, please contact Nancy in the office. The mass stipend is the normal Archdiocesan fee of $5.
Box Tops are an easy way to help our school earn money. Please remember to look for them on your purchases and send them to school with your child. Children in pre-primary and lower elementary should have received a collection sheet by backpack mail. (additional collection sheets available in the office) Please either use the collection sheet or put your box tops in a baggie with your child’s name and classroom. For more information, visithttp://www.boxtops4education.com. Thank you!!
2014-15 Year Books Are Here
If you ordered a year book last year, you should have received it this week by backpack mail with one of your children here at GSCM. If you have any questions, please contact Nicolay Walz