The Good News
e-Edition: January 2020
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The end of 2019 brought plenty of celebrations and gratitude looking back on a great year. Starting this new year and new decade in 2020, we are excited for what is to come! Inside this issue you'll find photos of holiday celebrations, a visit from the Superintendent, field trips, our students giving back to the community, and our student and alumni spotlights.
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Christmas Time is a busy time at GSS! Below are several photos from some of our holiday events. We enjoyed Christmas music performances by the Kindergarten through 8th grade, our annual Breakfast with Santa event, and Story time in PJs with the PreK!
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The 8th Grade Class at the Christmas Show
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The 3rd Grade Class performing at the Christmas Show
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Annual Breakfast with Santa sponsored by the GSS Parents Association - thank you to all volunteers who make this event possible!
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Pajama Storytime Day: The 7th and 8th Grade students read Christmas storybooks to the 3K and UPK students.
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Supertintendent Michael Deegan's Visit to GSS
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Superintendent of Schools Michael Deegan and Superintendent of Manhattan Region Joseph Tweed visited Good Shepherd on December 5, 2019. They visited classrooms to meet students and teachers and see the wonderful work happening. Then, we gathered in the auditorium for a preview performance of "Little Women" by our Theater students, and then Mr. Deegan and Mr. Tweed were presented with gifts from our students. Thank you Mr. Deegan and Mr. Tweed for visiting!
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K - 3 Trip to the New York Botanical Gardens
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The Kindergarten through 3rd Grade took a field trip to the Botanical Gardens! They had the chance to explore soil, plant, and water the garden to discover ways plants grow and change seasonally. They searched for plant parts we eat and got to taste freshly harvested vegetables. They even potted their very own basil plants to take and grow at home!
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Learning 21st-Century Skills in Robotics
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Every Thursday, the Robotics program meets after school led by our 2nd and 3rd grade teachers, Ms. Miralle and Ms. Gasparino. At the first meting pictured here, the students learned what STEM is and came up with ideas for their own robots that can solve a problem. They drew their robots with labels and an explanation of what the robot does. We are excited to see what the year brings for these student engineers!
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Walk-A-Thon to Make a Difference!
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Every year, the GSS students raise money for the Walk-A-Thon. On a perfectly sunny Monday in November, the 4th - 8th grade took to Inwood Hill Park to complete their Walk-A-Thon. The students raised over $6,000 for our school! Way to go!
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Every year, Student Council organizes a Food Drive. Each class is assigned a type of food to bring, and all of the students work together to divide the food into decorated brown bags to send to our food bank.
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We gathered as a school community to join in thanksgiving with each other. We enjoyed a delicious meal and Thanksgiving prayers, poems, and songs performed by each class, from our 3K students to our 8th graders!
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GSS Theater Program's Fall Play...
"Little Women"
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We had a successful weekend of performances of "Little Women." The cast and crew were made up of 4th - 8th graders, and students not only acted in the play, but ran the lights, spotlight, sound, and moved set pieces and props.
We welcomed almost 200 audience members between our performances.
Looking ahead, the students are excited to audition for the spring musical!
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We are fundraising to make our 2019-2020 Season happen and YOU can help!
Our goal this year is to raise $10,000.
Every dollar counts and is matched up to $5000!
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In each issue, we will be spotlighting a student who shows excellence in the classroom and in our community!
In this issue, we are spotlighting Valeria Martinez, an 8th grade student.
Valeria was recently accepted into Dominican Academy and is a recipient of the FRA Angelico Scholarship, in the total amount of $20,000. The scholarship is one of the school's highest academic honors awarded to only a few of the many outstanding students to apply to Dominican Academy and participate in the Scholarship Interview and Exam each year.
We asked Valeria about her time here at GSS. Her favorite thing about being a GSS student is the "amazing community I have with my peers and teachers."
Valeria's favorite subject is ELA, and she also participates in the Theater Program as the spotlight operator and an officer in Student Council. Looking toward high school, Valeria is "most excited about getting to meet new people and make new friends."
When asked about what lesson she's learned at GSS that she'll take with her: "Always do things to the best of my ability no matter what the circumstances are."
We are so proud of you, Valeria, and all that you have accomplished so far! We wish you the best of luck in high school and beyond!
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We love seeing our graduates excel as they move into their futures and careers. In this issue, we are spotlighting Ms. Anai Angel '09 who is now the Kindergarten teacher!
Ms. Angel received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a minor in Early Childhood / Childhood Education from CUNY-Lehman College in 2018. She recently completed her Masters Degree in Childhood Education with a bilingual extension.
We asked Ms. Angel some questions about how GSS has changed since she was here as a student. She noted the expansion and improvements, and that "today there are more activities for students to engage in."
"My time at Good Shepherd was very special. Throughout the years of attending school here, the teachers and other faculty members helped me become the person I am today. The teachers always looked out for the students and built relationships with us. They helped me get ready for high school. My 7th-grade teacher is who inspired me to become an educator. She not only played her role as a teacher but also made sure that her students came first whenever it seemed like we were going through something."
"As a teacher at Good Shepherd, I hope to teach all my students that’s it’s okay to not know something. I am here to help them understand and learn. I also want them to make memories which they will look back at in their future like I did."
We asked Ms. Angel what she enjoys about returning as a teacher at Good Shepherd, "What I enjoy about working as a teacher at Good Shepherd today is that the same welcoming feeling is still here. All the teachers, staff, and students are more than just that. They are a community that cares for each other, and I am happy to join it."
We are happy to have you back at Good Shepherd, Ms. Angel, and our Kindergartners are lucky to have you as their teacher!
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Ms. Angel on her graduation day from CUNY-Lehman College
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Have you considered donating to our Annual Appeal?
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Our Annual Appeal supports our students and school, and we are very grateful for our donors and supporters for making what we do possible. If you are interested in giving back to Good Shepherd School, donating through our Annual Appeal is the way to make a difference!
We are over half of the way to our goal thanks to the generosity of our network, and you can help us inch toward the goal!
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Have You Moved? Let Us Know!
Have you recently moved, or have a new phone number or e-mail address? Does your GSS mail still go to your parents' home? Let us know! The school is always looking to update and maintain accurate information in the alumni database. If you have any recent changes to report, e-mail meghanginley@gsschoolnyc.org or call (212) 567-5800.
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Did you know GSS is on social media?
Follow us to see what we're up to!
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Support Good Shepherd School
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Did you know that many employers will match charitable gifts made by their employees to their favorite non-profits? Check with your human resources department to see if they will match your gift to Good Shepherd School, doubling or even tripling your support!
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Join Friends of Good Shepherd (FoGSS)
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Alumni of Good Shepherd School are invited to join the FoGSS alumni community!
Network with alumni, stay up-to-date with the latest school and alumni news, find out about upcoming events and collaborate with fellow alumni.
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Help Spread the Good News!
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Please share this e-Edition with your friends and fellow alumni and encourage them to join our mailing list. With your help, we will be able to share our good news with even more friends!
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Friends of Good Shepherd School | 954 Lexington Ave, Suite 252, New York, NY |
www.fogss.org
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