​It was last Thursday afternoon (September 7) when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office of Catholic Education recognized 62 parish and regional elementary schools as 2023 Archdiocesan Schools of Distinguished Instruction. Good Shepherd Catholic School Principal Sister Helen Thomas, IHM, attended the awards ceremony at St. Pius X Church in Broomall, PA, with GSC Resource Teacher and Administrative Assistant Sister Christine Lamb, IHM. They are pictured below with Dr. Andrew McLaughlin, Secretary for Elementary Education, and Father Stephen DeLacy, Vicar for the Office for Faith Formation for Youth and Young Adults in the Archdiocese.

GSC was one of 21 schools recognized for Growth and Exceeding Potential. Recognition for Growth was determined by comparing the Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) score from the March 2023 testing to the NCE examinations taken by students in the previous academic year. GSC students’ scores demonstrated a full year’s growth in the total mastery of skills at every level tested.

Recognition for Exceeding Potential was determined by analyzing the data from the ability testing (InView) and the achievement testing (Terra Nova) in which schools were found to have 85 percent of the classes (grades 2-7) meeting or exceeding their potential in all content areas at every level tested with a growth rate between 76 and 90 percent.

Here is the press release from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia: https://archphila.org/62-catholic-elementary-schools-throughout-the-five-county-region-to-be-recognized-at-2023-archdiocesan-schools-of-distinguished-instruction/.
 
Here is the story on CatholicPhilly.com: https://catholicphilly.com/2023/09/news/local-news/62-catholic-grade-schools-honored-for-excellence/.

Congratulations to GSC students, teachers and staff for all of their hard work that led to this significant academic achievement!
 
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Good Shepherd Catholic School's 14th school year begins on Wednesday, September 6, for grades 1-8, and students will have a 12:00 noon dismissal, followed by full days on Thursday and Friday. Our school day runs from 7:50 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., with after-school care until 6:00 p.m.

Kindergarten's first full day is Friday, September 8, and our preschool classes start on Monday, September 11. After-school CARES and the NDS Breakfast and Lunch Program also begin on Monday, the 11th.

We still have open seats in classrooms, including preschool (ages 3 and 4), kindergarten, and grades 1, 3 and 5. Please contact Jim Templeton in the Advancement Office (215-886-0126 or advancement@gscregional.org) for enrollment information. As long as we have the room, students and families are invited to join the GSC School community, where students receive an academically challenging and well-rounded education in a safe and supportive learning environment. Scholarships and grants are available to help parents afford the GSC experience for their children.

Principal Sister Helen Thomas, IHM, was busy this Summer preparing for the 2023-2024 school year, but one thing she didn't have to do was hire any teachers. She is proud to announce that all school-day teachers and aides – preschool through grade 8 – are returning to GSC and they are ready and raring to go!

You can consult the online school calendar for more important dates and events that will kick off the new school year! You also can download a printable school-year calendar here. 

The 12 graduates in the Class of 2023 from Good Shepherd Catholic School in Ardsley are headed in a few different directions when they begin their secondary education in September at various area schools, including Abington Junior High School; Archbishop Wood High School, Warminster; Gwynedd Mercy Academy, Gwynedd Valley; La Salle College High School, Wyndmoor; Lansdale Catholic High School; Upper Dublin High School, Fort Washington; and Upper Moreland High School in Willow Grove.

​Good Shepherd’s 13th eighth-grade class received their diplomas on Tuesday night, June 13, during a graduation ceremony following a Mass at Queen of Peace Parish Church.

Throughout 2022, Wawa has used the grand openings of new stores as opportunities to celebrate the customers, associates, community members, organizations and local heroes who are committed to “brightening the days” of others across the popular convenience store’s operating area. They call it their “Day Brighteners Tour.” As part of the Tour, Wawa asks community members to nominate an individual or organization making a positive impact on the local area to be recognized during the opening day ceremony.
 
When Wawa held the grand opening of their new location at Easton and Waverly Roads in Glenside last Thursday morning (December 15), Glenside resident and Good Shepherd Catholic School Third-Grade Teacher Rachel Dillinger was honored as the Community Day Brightener!
 
During her introduction, a Wawa representative noted that they had received “an overwhelming number of nominations, but this person has truly gone above and beyond.” Now in her fourth year at GSC, Miss Dillinger was acknowledged for her love of teaching and dedication to her students, especially since her first two years were impacted greatly by COVID and its effect on schools.
 
In addition to teaching third grade, Miss Dillinger is the director of Good Shepherd Catholic’s Spring musical – a responsibility she took on last school year – and she has worked the past two years at Camp GSC, the school’s Summer program.
 
Congratulations, Rachel, and thank you for all you do at and for GSC!
 
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#GSCTeacherTuesday  #GSCProud

The Connelly Foundation today announced in a virtual ceremony its 2023 Neumann Scholars, awarding 50 academically talented eighth-grade students from 33 regional and parochial schools in the five counties (Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Bucks) with four-year, full scholarships to attend any Philadelphia Archdiocesan high school of their choosing. The scholarships are named for Saint John Neumann, the fourth bishop of Philadelphia, who is credited with founding over 200 schools in the Archdiocese.

​For the first time in the school’s 13-year history, Good Shepherd Catholic has a Neumann Scholar, and he is Nicholas Carlson! Nicholas is pictured with his mom, Susan, along with GSC Principal Sister Helen Thomas, IHM, and Eighth-Grade Teacher Patricia Blackwell, following this morning’s announcement.

Launched in 1995, the Neumann Scholars Program identifies scholastically gifted eighth-grade students through an independently administered competitive examination. The criteria to sit for this year’s exam was a seventh-grade Terra Nova standardized total test score of 90 or a cognitive skills index (CSI) score of 120, plus a seventh-grade grade point average (GPA) of 92.0 or above. Students also needed to complete an application and an essay.

Nicholas took the scholarship exam at the Montgomery County testing site – Lansdale Catholic High School – on Sunday, September 25, along with classmate James Gramlich. They were two of the 473 students from 116 parochial schools in all the counties who competed to be a Neumann Scholar.

GSC’s sixth-grade students joined the eighth graders in their classroom on Tuesday morning to watch the online awards presentation.

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​#GSCistheplacetobe
​#GSCProud

In partnership with The Giving Tree – a non-profit organization based in Gwynedd Valley, PA, which is "dedicated to teaching children the merits of helping worthwhile causes and the positive results of their hard work" – The GIANT Company is graciously sponsoring several service learning grants for area middle schools as a part of their Eliminating Hunger Campaign.

​The Good Shepherd Catholic School community is taking part in this program, and on Friday, October 21, GSC students put together about 150 snack bags with encouraging handwritten notes for those experiencing hunger and food insecurity. 

Now YOU can help! Scan the QR code on the flyer below to watch a short video (less than two-minutes) which explains how you and your family can make "Full Belly Bags," which you then can drop off at the school before the end of October.

In addition to helping the hungry, your efforts could bring the Phillie Phanatic to GSC!

This schoolwide community service project was organized by GSC's Student Council and their moderator, Mrs. Alexis Wilson. 

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Office of Catholic Education has recognized GSC as a School of Distinguished Instruction 2022! This honor is based on our students' performance on the Terra Nova achievement tests they took in early March. At least 90 percent of GSC students in grades 3-7 last school year "exceeded their potential" in all content areas at every level tested, based on prior abilities testing.

In advance of the achievement tests, the students take the InView test, which is a cognitive aptitude assessment that measures skills and abilities needed to learn and succeed in school. The InView is evaluated and analyzed with the Terra Nova tests to determine whether a student is achieving up to their full potential.

GSC Principal Sister Helen Thomas, IHM, accepted the school's plaque at an awards ceremony on Thursday afternoon, September 8, at St. Pius X Church in Broomall. Bishop Michael J. Fitzgerald, who oversees Catholic education in the Archdiocese, and Dr. Andrew McLaughlin, Secretary for Elementary Education, were on hand to present the award to Sister Helen.

Congratulations to our students, faculty and staff for all of their hard work that led to this recognition!

#GSCScholarship
#GSCCommunity
​#GSCistheplacetobe
#GSCisIHMstrong