The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office of Catholic Education recognized 71 parish and regional elementary schools last Thursday (September 5) as 2024 Archdiocesan Schools of Distinguished Instruction. School administrators gathered to receive their award during a ceremony at Saint Dorothy Church in Drexel Hill.

Dr. Andrew McLaughlin, Secretary of Elementary Education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and Mrs. Bernadette Dougherty, the Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools in Montgomery County, were on hand to present the awards.

GSC Principal Sister Helen Thomas, IHM – along with Fourth-Grade Teacher Sister Teresa Haug, IHM, and Resource Teacher Sister Christine Lamb, IHM – accepted Good Shepherd Catholic School’s plaque for a third year in a row.

GSC was one of 44 schools recognized for "Growth" and "Exceeding Potential," and this is the second consecutive year that GSC has succeeded in both categories. Recognition for "Growth" was determined by comparing the Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) score from the March 2024 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/71-area-catholic-elementary-schools-to-be-recognized-as-2024-archdiocesan-schools-of-distinguished-instruction/.
 
Here is the story on CatholicPhilly.com: https://catholicphilly.com/2024/09/news/local-news/71-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!
 
#GSCScholarship  #GSCCommunity  #GSCistheplacetobe  #ComeGrowWithUsAtGSC

​Good Shepherd Catholic School's 15th school year begins on Wednesday, September 4, 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 6, and our preschool classes start on Monday, September 9. After-school CARES and the NDS Breakfast and Lunch Program also begin on Monday, the 9th.

​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. 

There are 110 families with children currently enrolled in the school, and GSC is beginning the 2024-2025 school year with 28 three- and four-year-olds in preschool, 14 kindergarten students, and 109 students in grades 1-8.

The 16 graduates in the Class of 2024 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 Senior High School; Archbishop Wood High School, Warminster; Gwynedd Mercy Academy, Gwynedd Valley; La Salle College High School, Wyndmoor; and Lansdale Catholic High School.

​Good Shepherd’s 14th eighth-grade class received their diplomas on Wednesday night, June 12, during a graduation ceremony following a Mass at Queen of Peace Parish Church.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office of Catholic Education (OCE) hosted its 2024 STREAM Expo for preschools, parish and regional elementary schools, secondary schools, as well as colleges and universities throughout the five-county region, on April 23-25, at a different Archdiocesan high school each day. This is the first year that Catholic colleges and universities were invited to participate in this initiative.

STREAM is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts, and Math.  OCE’s vision for their curriculum is that a STREAM gives life to wherever it flows, and that this integrated instructional model provides substantive academic offerings with real world applications.

Good Shepherd Catholic School Principal Sister Helen Thomas, IHM, set up a display at Lansdale Catholic High School on Thursday, April 25, and showcased the scope and variety of GSC's STREAM activities for all of our students, preschool through grade eight. OCE recognized the school's efforts with two ribbons of excellence: a second-place award for "Best overall quality of presentation" and a first-place award for "Greatest application of interdisciplinary STREAM concepts."

Click here to read the advance press release from the Archdiocese announcing the 2024 STREAM Expo.

​#GSCScholarship  #GSCCommunity  #GSCService  #GSCisaSTREAMcometrue

La Salle College High School in Wyndmoor offers a number of merit-based scholarships to incoming freshmen. They are awarded to current eighth graders based on their performance on the scholarship/entrance exam; a strong academic profile; outstanding recommendation(s); and demonstrated leadership and service.

La Salle awards one Founder’s Scholarship each year, which covers the recipient’s full tuition for four years, and this year’s winner is Thomas Sweeney, GSC Class of 2024!
 
Thomas attended La Salle’s Scholarship Dinner for the Class of 2028 last Thursday night (January 11), accompanied by his father, Joseph, a 1999 LCHS Explorer graduate, as well as by Mr. Michael Sentman, GSC’s Honors Math/STREAM teacher.
 
Congratulations, Thomas! We are #GSCProud of you for your hard work and determination, and grateful for your service to Good Shepherd Catholic School and Queen of Peace Parish!

​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!
 
#GSCScholarship  #GSCCommunity  #GSCistheplacetobe  #ComeGrowWithUsAtGSC

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 [email protected]) 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.