Catholic Schools Week Mass: Sunday is the beginning of Catholic Schools Week. Each class will be represented in each mass beginning with Saturday at 5:30 mass. The Pre-k class, as you know from the blog, will be represented at the 12:30pm mass on Sunday with our 4^th grade buddy class. It would be nice to see a presence of our students at the mass. Students are asked to wear their uniform and will receive a free dress pass to be redeemed on Monday, Jan. 30 (tentative).

The children’s choir (featuring Good Shepherd students) will be performing. This event will kick off the national Catholic Schools week activities.

Photo Exhibit: Looking to the Extraordinary in the Commonplace

Please visit the Parish hall after mass on Sunday to check out the photo exhibit.  Each of the students in the school took a picture of their favorite place in the school and titled their photograph.  The pictures have been framed and will be on display in the Parish Hall.

MONDAY (1/30):
Our first school wide activity for Catholic Schools week will be collecting baked goods for our community helpers.  Each student is asked to bring in a store bought, pre-packaged baked good.  It does not need to be anything big.  We will put all the baked goods into baskets and pass out to the local library, fire station, police station, post office and Good Shepherd Church.  We will also include Good Shepherd brochures and thank them.

This week we are counting to 100 every day!

On Friday, January 27th we are celebrating 100th day of school. We will count to 100 in many different ways during the week and have several 100 activities going on the 27th. Throughout the week we encourge you and your child to be creative in your counting and for your child to bring 100 items into school and show his/her peers how he/she counts to 100 (teachers will help out). This could be making project like below or brining in bag with 100 paperclips, popcorn, pastas, etc. HAVE FUN!  

Today we filled two bottles with liquids; one with plain water and the other with water and salt. We put a string in both bottles and observed what happened.

This website, http://www.ixl.com/math/pre-k, seems easy to use and practices many skills.  Of course hands-on practice is prefered, but children also like computer games. Have fun!

Try it and let me know what you think!

We are planning field trips for the spring semester!  All parents chaperoning have to be VIRTUS certified. Without VIRTUS certification you are not allowed to join the class. Luckily you have 3 opportunities to become certified here at Good Shepherd School or church before January is over. Please take this opportunity. Next step is to be fingerprinted.

UPCOMING DATES for Virtus Training and/or Fingerprinting

• VIRTUS TRAINING January 19 @ GOOD SHEPHERD SCHOOL. Call to RSVP 310-275-8601
• VIRTUS TRAINING January 26 @ Good Shepherd Church @ 7:00 pm Call 310-285-5425
• VIRTUS TRAINING January 28 @ Good Shepherd Church @ 1:30 pm Call 310-285-5425

We, Maria Aizpuru and myself have received suggestions on where to go with our pre-k students, a tentative schedule is being made. Please let us know if you have any great suggestions to add to our list.  Also let us know how many children/car seats you are able to fit in your car. THANKS!

Classes at Good Shepherd 

MONDAYS 

January 23rd – March 19th, 2012 

3:15pm-4:15pm 

8-week session 

$120 for 8 classes ($15 per class) 

Please make check payable to: 

Alison McMillan 

(No class Monday February 20th) 

CLASS DESCRIPTION 

Come learn Irish step dancing made famous by the shows ‘Riverdance’ and ‘Lord of the Dance!’ Dancers in this class will learn the basics of Irish step dancing and begin learning soft shoe dances such as the reel and light jig. Dancers will also begin learning small group dances like the 2-hand and 3-hand reel. 

INSTRUCTOR 

Alison McMillan is a competitive Irish step dancer who has competed and placed at the Regional, National, and World level. She has been teaching Irish step dance enrichment classes in preschool and elementary schools since 1998. She hopes to pass along her love of Irish dance in a fun and supportive environment. Every dancer has the potential to be a champion! 

Here’s a fact you may not have known. Our student population is:  8% Filipino, 15% Asian, 7% African American, 3% Hispanic, 51% White and 16% Multiracial.

SUNDAY,  JANUARY 15^TH 

• Basketball Game @ 5:00pm. vs. St. Timothy at Serra High School, Gardena

MONDAY, JANUARY 16^th

• NO SCHOOL     DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17^th

• School Tours @ 1:30 pm.
• ACE Enrichment – BeJeweled 2nd Grade  classroom 3:15-4:14
• Boy’s Basketball Practice 3:15-4:14

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18^th

• ACE Enrichment – Chess Workshop  3rd Grade classroom  3:15-4:15
• ACE Enrichment – Musical Theatre Disney  O’Ryan Hall 3:15-4:15
• Boy’s Basketball Practice 3:15-4:15

THURSDAY, JANUARY 19^th

• VIRTUS Training @ 9:00 am to 12:00 pm in O’Ryan Hall
• ACE Enrichment – Professor Egghead Detectives 5th Grade Classroom 3:15-4:15

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20^th

• End of Second Quarter/Report Cards will be mailed on Jan. 27th
• Spirit Day – All Students should wear Spirit shirts, jeans (no holes) black shoes.
• Martha’s Kitchen  7th and 8th Grade Service Project 8:15 am
• Early dismissal every Friday @ 12:30 pm

BASKETBALL GAME Sunday, January 22^nd @ 4:00 pm. vs. Corpus Christi at Serra High School, Gardena

BABY2BABY donations will be accepted until January 31st  Please see Mrs. Moore (2^nd Grade Teacher) or Mrs. Wahlberg (3^rdgrade room parent) for more information.

IRISH STEP DANCING CLASSES Begin January 23^rd thru March 19 from 3:15-4:15 pm.  Sign up in main office by Friday, January 20^th.   Cost is $120 for 8 classes or $15 per class.  Make Check payable to Alison McMillan.

A Look Ahead:  Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 29 – Feb. 3

Students and their families will be participating in all the Masses at Good Shepherd Church the weekend of Jan. 28-29^th with a School Mass at 12:30 on Jan. 29^th followed by an Alumni Recept ion in Good Shepherd Parish Center at 1:30 pm.

There will also be a Student Photography Exhibit  - “Looking to the Extraordinary in the Commonplace:  Good Shepherd in Focus” in Good Shepherd Parish Hall all weekend.

SPIRIT SHIRT RE -ORDERS

If you would like to order an additional Spirit T Shirt please contact the main office by Wednesday, January 18^th.   There is a set up fee of $45 that will be divided by the number of orders placed.  So far, 3 families have expressed an interest which means an additional $15 will be added to their order (this cost is reduced if we get more orders).  Each T Shirt is $12.00.

UPCOMING DATES for Virtus Training and/or Fingerprinting

VIRTUS TRAINING January 20 @ Good Shepherd Church Recertification @ 7:00 Call 310-285-5425

VIRTUS TRAINING January 21@ Good Shepherd Church Recertification @ 1:30 pm call 310-285-5425

VIRTUS TRAINING January 2 6 @ Good Shepherd Church @ 7:00 pm Call 310-285-5425

VIRTUS TRAINING January 28 @ Good Shepherd Church @ 1:30 pm Call 310-285-5425

FINGERPRINTING January 19^th @ St. Dominic School Call 323-255-5803

Jan. 3- WELCOME BACK!

Jan. 10- Parent Club meeting in O’Ryan Hall, 8:15 am.

Jan. 16- no school in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

Jan. 19- Gateway to Art! 10am

Jan. 24- FUN fundraising event at CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN! Join other school families for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. This is an event all students enjoy, imagine looking around and you see your friends everywhere. Turn in your receipts and a percent of your bill will go to the current eight grade’s upcoming play. 

Jan. 26- Science Day!

Jan. 27- 100th Day of School! Bring one hundred items during the week for us to play with, group and count in class.

Jan. 29- 12:30 Mass- please come to church and share with the Good Shepherd Community why you send your child to Good Shepherd School. Students should be dressed in their uniforms and will be greeters and pass out little prayer cards. If they are not too shy they may share what they like about their school at church. Our 4th grade buddies will also attend 12:30 mass, they will be lectors. Our school choir will also sing at this mass.

After mass you are welcome to view the photo exhibition in the Parish Hall. The students at our school have captured their favorite place at school with a self-taken photograph. Interesting and eye opening!