GOOD SHEPHERD CATHOLIC SCHOOL
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    • The Shepherd's Society >
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        • In Memory of Donna Marie MacClain
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        • In Memory of David Gray, Sr.
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    • Turkey Trot 2023
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NEWS

GSC Is Named an Archdiocesan School of Distinguished Instruction for a Second Year

9/14/2023

 
​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

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GSC's 14th School Year Begins on Wednesday, September 6

8/30/2023

 
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. 
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Good Shepherd Catholic Graduates its 13th Class

6/15/2023

 
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.
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GSC Celebrates Catholic Schools Week 2023

1/23/2023

 
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Click on the above graphic to open a printable .pdf file of GSC's CSW schedule.
Here's what's happening at GSC from January 28 through February 3, 2023:
  
Saturday, January 28: Pre-CSW Event for Parents and other Adults
•  The Home and School Association's annual Trivia Night takes place in the GSC auditorium. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the questions start around 7:00.

Saturday and Sunday, January 28-29: Celebrating Our Parish
•  Student speakers will talk at the weekend Masses at Queen of Peace Church.
•  School representatives will serve coffee and donuts in Lynaugh Hall
(under Queen of Peace Church) after the Sunday morning Masses.
​
Monday, January 30: Celebrating Our Community
•  Annual Mass for GSC volunteers and community first responders
at 9:00 a.m. in Queen of Peace Church, followed by a
light breakfast/refreshments in the GSC auditorium.
The Mass can be watched via the Queen of Peace Livestream:
https://masslivestream.com/churches/qofpeacechurch​.
•  Students will participate in a "Fighting Poverty" service project.
 
Tuesday, January 31: Celebrating Our Grandparents and Special Friends
•  Students may dress as their favorite storybook character.
Students not dressing as a character can wear their gym uniform.
•  There will be two sessions for GSC students to play Bingo with their invited guest(s), from 9:00 to 10:15 a.m., and then from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.
Here is the SignUpGenius link for grandparents to RSVP:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a044faaac2ea2fd0-grandparents.
•  Students will participate in a STEM activity with their in-school "buddies."

Wednesday, February 1: Celebrating Our Teachers and Staff
•  Teacher Appreciation Day
•  Teachers will enjoy a catered lunch provided by
the Good Shepherd Home and School Association.
Adult lunch monitors should contact a teacher directly if they are able to volunteer
from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today. Thank you for your time and consideration!
•  Students can wear their gym uniform.
•  Teachers and staff will play "Minute To Win It" against the eighth graders.
​
Thursday, February 2: Celebrating Our Students
•  Students can wear their gym uniform with a crazy hat/socks.
•  Students in Grades PreK-3: "Bring A Stuffed Animal To School" Day and
s
tudents in Grades 4-8: "Anything But A Backpack Day" (students come to school
carrying their school supplies in anything that isn’t a backpack). 

•  Students will receive a soft pretzel at morning recess/snack time.
•  The Home and School Association will treat students to a Hot Dog Lunch
.
•  There will be an Academic Fair/Open House from 6:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

Friday, February 3: Celebrating GSC
•  Dance For Education! (Click on the words to donate.)
•  Students may wear GSC spirit wear or their gym uniform.
​•  Games and dancing throughout the day.

GSC Teacher Is Recognized by Wawa as a Community Day Brightener

12/20/2022

 
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!
 
#GSCCommunity  #GSCService 
#GSCTeacherTuesday  #GSCProud
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GSC Third-Grade Teacher Rachel Dillinger – holding her Community Day Brightener prize pack – is pictured with her parents, boyfriend (Dean, far left), Wally the Goose, and Wawa employees.
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GSC Eighth Grader Wins Prestigious Neumann Scholarship Award

12/13/2022

 
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.
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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.
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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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#GSCScholarship
#GSCCommunity
​#GSCistheplacetobe
​#GSCProud

The GSC School Community Is Making Snack Bags To Help Eliminate Hunger

10/21/2022

 
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. 
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GSC Is Recognized as an Archdiocesan School of Distinguished Instruction

9/9/2022

 
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!
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Left to right: Bishop Fitzgerald, Sister Helen and Dr. McLaughlin.
#GSCScholarship
#GSCCommunity
​#GSCistheplacetobe
#GSCisIHMstrong
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​835 North Hills Avenue​
Ardsley, PA 19038

215-886-4782 (Main Office)
215-884-1591 (Business Office)
215-887-​9241 (Business Office Fax)
215-886-​0126 (Advancement Office)
Email: advancement@gscregional.org
Make A Difference With Your Donation To GSC!
  • WELCOME TO GSC
    • Admissions >
      • C.A.R.E.S.
      • Kindergarten to Grade 8
      • New Students
      • Preschool
      • Tuition and Fees
      • Tuition Assistance
    • Board of Limited Jurisdiction
    • Contact Us
    • Faculty and Staff
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • General Information
    • GSC Apparel Store (Jostens)
    • Home and School Association
    • IHM Spirituality
    • Legacy Schools >
      • Queen Of Peace
      • St. John of the Cross
    • Parish >
      • CYO
      • GSC's Weekly Bulletin Columns 2023
      • GSC's Weekly Bulletin Columns 2022
      • GSC's Weekly Bulletin Columns 2021
      • Scrip Program
    • Principal's Message
    • We Believe
  • WHY GSC?
    • #GSCFamilyFriday
    • #GSCService >
      • Student Council
  • ACADEMIC LIFE
    • Curriculum And General Information
    • English Language Arts
    • Faculty and Staff
    • Fine Arts
    • Mathematics
    • Middle States Accreditation
    • National Junior Honor Society (NJHS)
    • Physical Education
    • Preschool
    • Religion
    • Science
    • Social Studies
    • Stationery & Summer Reading Lists
    • STREAM >
      • STREAM Expo 2023
    • Technology
  • PARENT RESOURCES
    • Busing Information (Plus Arrival and Dismissal Procedures)
    • C.A.R.E.S.
    • Calendar
    • Camp GSC (Guided Summer Care) 2023
    • Clearances Information For Volunteers
    • FACTS Management Company
    • Flyers and Forms
    • GSC Apparel Store (Jostens)
    • Handbook and Policies
    • Home and School Association
    • Lunch Program
    • No Uniform Today (N.U.T.) Passes
    • Preschool
    • Re-enrollment 2023-2024
    • School Closing Information (Inclement Weather)
    • School Uniform Information
    • Scrip Program
    • Sister Helen's Newsletters
    • Summer Reading and Stationery Lists
    • Tuition Assistance
  • NEWS
    • Announcements And News Stories
    • GSC Onward
    • Photo Gallery 2023-2024
    • Photo Gallery 2022-2023
    • Photo Gallery 2021-2022
    • Photo Gallery 2020-2021 >
      • Pumpkin Decorating Contest
    • Photo Gallery 2019-2020
    • Sister Helen's Newsletters
  • SUPPORT GSC
    • Alumni >
      • Legacy Schools >
        • Queen of Peace
        • St. John of the Cross
    • Bingo! May 2023
    • Christmas Bazaar 2023
    • Dance For Education 2023
    • EITC and OSTC Tax Programs
    • Irish Night 2023
    • Oktoberfest 2023
    • Philly Sports Raffle 2023
    • The Shepherd's Society >
      • Honor Roll of Donors 2023-2024
      • Honor Roll of Donors 2022-2023 >
        • In Memory of Donna Marie MacClain
      • Honor Roll of Donors 2021-2022
      • Honor Roll of Donors 2020-2021 >
        • In Memory of David Gray, Sr.
      • Honor Roll of Donors 2019-2020
    • Turkey Trot 2023
    • Ways To Donate