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October 2008 | | Wednesday, October 1, 2008 Good Shepherd Catholic School
"Good News"letter
October, 2008
Good Shepherd has begun a new decade with the promise of continuing to build upon the strong academic and spiritual foundation that has been established in its first ten years of school life. September has been full of activity, but peaceful, and the fall months ahead hold a bounty of activities and events to be celebrated and enjoyed by all.
Grandparents Day held on Friday, September 5th, included receptions at both the Fr. Joseph Lively Center, home to Good Shepherd's Early Education Program, and at the Good Shepherd Catholic School on Maple Street. Members of the Good Shepherd family - young and older - gathered at St. John the Evangelist Church for a service which included prayer, music, and a special blessing for the grandparents. Special thanks to Fr. Schnobrich for this joyous celebration of faith and family. Grandparents Day will be held in early September again next year - what a warm and festive start to our school year!
Good Shepherd participated in the NEK Chamber of Commerce Fall Foliage Festival Parade on Sunday, October 5th. Thanks to Caitlin, Isabel, Paxton, Sierra and Sophia from our Early Ed program, as well as Angela, Collin, Haley, Kaylee, Lauren, Neva and Sarah S. from Good Shepherd, who marched and sang, showing that we've got spirit! These students were introduced to Governor Douglas and his wife at the start of the parade, and as the parade concluded, the governor stopped by again to thank our children, commenting on how nice it was to see them representing Good Shepherd in this event. Congratulations and thanks to those students and their families who participated.
The PTG will meet on Wednesday, October 15th from 6:00-7:00 in the Student Center on the 2nd floor of the school. The agenda includes: election of officers for the 2008-09 school year, the addition of "room parents" to the school, and the planning of upcoming events and fundraisers. All Good Shepherd parents and staff are invited and encouraged to attend, as the PTG supports the students and school in a variety of important ways. Thanks to all who supported the group in the recent Innisbrook Wrapping fundraiser.
The Kingdom Challenge, a half- Marathon run and 5k walk/run, sponsored by Good Shepherd's Board, will be held on Saturday, October 25th. Thanks and best wishes to a number of our 7th and 8th grade students who will be participating in the 5k race (running or walking). All families are encouraged to consider supporting this special event by running/walking, volunteering to help before, during, or after the race, or by standing along the race course, cheering on the participants. You may find out more at: www.thekingdomchallenge.com or by contacting Kelly Urie, who has done/is doing a brilliant job organizing the event. All proceeds benefit Good Shepherd students.
Look for upcoming articles in the Vermont Catholic Tribune and Caledonian-Record about how our school website is helping Good Shepherd to "go green." In the article, Mr. Gessner notes his appreciation for "... the willing Good Shepherd staff and parents who are embracing a practical opportunity to consciously do things to make a difference in our world. We are this generation's stewards of the planet, God's gift (on loan?) to us, and it has become clear that it is our duty to take the role of responsible stewards seriously" The article also points out that Good Shepherd stands to save at least 50 reams of paper (imagine 25,000 sheets) per year by having various forms and weekly/monthly newsletters available on line. We are not only excited about this new sense of stewardship, but are committed to these efforts. With this in mind, we encourage you to bookmark our web address (www.goodshepherdschoolvt.org) and to check the website regularly. Weekly and monthly news, often including photos, are available right on the home page, the school year calendar is under "Admissions" and a monthly event calendar is under "Calendar/Events." Hot lunch forms are available on that page, as well as in the "Parent Place." If you don?t yet have a password for the Parent Place, you may give Linda Hartwell a call, or email her with your email address and password. Thanks you for joining us in this effort to conserve paper, ink, postage, and electricity. Special thanks, again, to Scott Wells and the Cambium Group for donating our beautiful and earth-friendly web site! Class News The GSCS Kindergarten class is off to a lively start with many special visitors including grandparents, caterpillars, a tadpole, and Lynette Courtney (also known as one of the Worm Sisters). Lynette came to teach about their classroom pets - composting worms! The children will learn about and observe the worms throughout the school year. The worms will share their gift of castings with us which will be used in the spring for planting seeds.
The children are practicing taking turns, being attentive listeners, writing and illustrating books, reading, understanding numbers, singing, and learning American Sign Language.
On September 30th, the Kindergarten was visited by Jackie Wetzel and John Chetwynd from Channel 7 News at Lyndon State College. John was impressed by one of our Kindergartners who he met on a recent Foliage Train ride. This student shared with the reporter that one of the most fun things about her school is "... making cookies for hungry people." Check out the result of this meeting at www.lyndonstate.edu/news7/ - the September 30th broadcast, approximately 9 minutes into the program. The Kindergartners have been baking cookies, cupcakes, and muffins on Tuesday afternoons, then delivering them to the St. Johnsbury Meal Site on Wednesday mornings after the school Mass. Congratulations to the class, and thanks to Mrs. McCarthy and Mrs. Brown for teaching our youngest students about caring and sharing. These youngsters really find the joy in giving!
 
Miss Comtois reports that the First Grade students have begun school with their "3 Rs" reading, routines, and respect. They have created "All About Me" books to get to know each other better.
Mrs. Frechette's Second Graders, along with Mrs. Cartularo's Third Graders have already been on three field trips in the St. Johnsbury community. They have visited and toured both the Fire Department and Post Office (in preparation for a post-card project), and harvested vegetables from the Frechettes' garden to be shared at the local food shelf.
Fourth Grade students, with Miss Stahler, have begun the year leaning about the respiratory system in science, and about the United States government in social studies. As the students learn more about citizenship, each is creating a campaign poster for him/herself, showing why he/she would be a good candidate for president!
The Fifth Graders, with Mr. Connolly, are off to a strong start in all areas. They attended the Festival of Traditional Crafts at the Fairbanks Museum in September, and have been visited by the Connollys' pet snake! Students are wrapping up their study of Early American civilizations in October with projects and presentations.
 
Miss Kelly's Sixth Grade class will be hosting a Middle Eastern Fair on Friday, October 10th from 12:30-2:45 in the 6th grade classroom. Students have been hard at work in all subjects, but these geography projects have become a traditional highlight of the year. All are welcome to stop in to the Fair!
 
Seventh and Eighth Graders are busy at work in all subjects, and many are training to participate in the upcoming Kingdom Challenge 5K race. Some running, some walking, all helping with the post-race luncheon-they are taking their call to service seriously, and in a very healthy way. Mrs. Angell, Mrs. Hughes, and Mrs. Achilles have worked together to lead this strong, capable team of students!
Alumni News
Mr. Gessner recently reported: "Several of our recent GSCS graduates, now freshmen in high school, have already become leaders in St. Johnsbury Academy's Class of 2012. The following Good Shepherd 2008 graduates have been elected by their peers to represent their class as follows: Brendan Hughes, President of the Freshman Class; Devon Biggie, Treasurer of the Freshman Class; Rosalee Stinehour, Secretary of the Freshman Class; Jesse Cote, Student Council Representative. Congratulations, alumni, from us all at Good Shepherd!"
Congratulations also to Gabrielle Robillard ('06) who represented the St. Johnsbury Rotary Club at the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards weekend, and to James Ryan ('05), who has been named a Commended Student in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Program.
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