Catholic Schools Week: We move into February with tremendous gratitude for your support and enthusiasm during our Catholic Schools Week festivities. Thank you to Shirley Lin-Kirk for designing the beautiful bookmarks for Readers’ Day, Karen Kovaleski and the PTG leaders for organizing the reception during our open house on Sunday, and the many of you who joined us for the Friends of Good Shepherd Day as classroom guests. Special recognition to our student council for their pep rally leadership and to the 5th grade class for their morning assembly presentation of the Lunar New Year celebration. We are so excited to bring back our Scholastic Book Fair and the Grandparents Day Luncheon for next year (and welcoming anyone who would like to step up as the Grandparents Day Coordinator to begin planning next fall!).
Congratulations GSS Basketball Athletes: The boy's basketball season moves excitedly into the postseason after the 5th and 8th-grade teams qualified for the playoffs this week. We are so proud of our well-rounded student-athletes and the commitment and skill they have demonstrated this season.
GSS Students and Faculty Featured in Catholic San Francisco! If you haven’t seen the printed copy of the recent issue of Catholic San Francisco, take a look at the digital issue here for so many beautiful images of our Good Shepherd School students and faculty members. We are honored to represent the “Christ Centered, Child Focused” mission of the Department of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese and are proud to symbolize a dynamic, diverse modern Catholic school community. https://issuu.com/
San Francisco Opera Guild Scholarship: We are proud to announce that Good Shepherd School 8th grade is the beneficiary of a partial scholarship for the Book to Bravo program. The program consists of 10 weekly class sessions, a performance, and a follow-up session. Two teaching artists plan content with the classroom teacher, who also works with students to complete assignments between visits. Check out the details on the SF Opera website: https://www.sfopera.com/
After School Musical Theater Coming Soon! We are excited to be forging ahead with more enrichment opportunities to support the in-school learning program at Good Shepherd School.
In the weeks ahead, please be on the lookout for details regarding a new musical theater program initiated by our own GSS parent Kimberly Krol. Center Stage Theater Arts will be offering after-school classes this spring to students in all grades, and the learning program will culminate with a May production open to the public. Details to follow.
Message from Ashley Larson of Pacifica Public Libraries: Dear Good Shepherd Families!
Thank you so much for hosting me yesterday at your school. I had a great time sharing books and library resources with you, and hearing about what books you have been enjoying. Here's a list of what we talked about or read in each class, in case you would like to check them out from the library.
In most classes, we talked about some of the ebooks, audiobooks , and other online resources available through the library web site, including Discover and Go which allows you to print out free tickets to local museums and other attractions.
If you have any questions about our library services or your library account, please feel free to email me at [email protected] , or call our customer care number at 833-YES-SMCL. Anyone over the age of 13 can also apply for a library card online . Children under 13 can apply for a card in any San Mateo County Library with the signature of a parent or guardian.
Kindergarten: The Book With No Pictures by B. J. Novak
Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman and Scott Magoon
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
What About Worms!? by Ryan T. Higgins
First Grade: (Weather)
The Story of Snow by Mark Cassino
Rabbit's Snow Dance by James and Joseph Bruchac, and Jeff Newman
Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems
Second Grade:
We also talked about Tumblebook Library , a large collection of read-along books in English and Spanish.
Claude, The True Story of a White Alligator by Emma Bland Smith
King and Kayla: The Case of the Missing Dog Treats series by Dori Hillestad Butler
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Third Grade (book talks):
Claude, The True Story of a White Alligator by Emma Bland Smith
Dragons in a Bag (series) by Zetta Elliott
Bob and Beep: Too Much Space (series) by Jonathan Roth
Cat Ninja (graphic novel series) by Matthew Cody
Eye Spy: How Animals See the World by Guillaume Duprat
Books recommended by Third Graders:
Thea Stilton series by Thea Stilton
Humphrey the Hamster series by Betty G. Birney
Whatever After series by Sarah Mylnowski
Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
City of Dragons by Jaimal Yogis (graphic novel)
Wings of Fire series (novels and graphic novels) by Tui Sutherland
Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke
Goosebumps series by R. L. Stine
Beast Quest series by Adam Blade
Babysitter's Club (graphic novel series based on the books by Ann M. Martin)
Phoebe and Her Unicorn (graphic novel series) by Dana Simpson
Fourth Grade:
Online Library resources (see attached list), including California Missions Ebooks .
Fifth Grade:
Eye Spy: How Animals See the World by Guillaume Duprat
What Animal Breathes Through Its Butt? by Emily Grossman
My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen
Hidden Wonders by Nicole Maggi
Books recommended by Fifth Graders
Black Panther by Ronald L. Smith
The Dark Hills Divide (The Land of Elyon series) by Patrick Carman
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
Wayside School series by Louis Sachar
Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney
Last Kids on Earth series by Max Brallier
Scorpia by Anthony Horowitz
Virus Geeks covid testing is a free resource available to all students and their families every Wednesday. Please be sure to sign up in advance here: https://my.virusgeeks.com/
Financial Aid Planning: Please mark your calendars: April 15th is the deadline for all financial aid applications. Even if you are not eligible for financial aid through the Archdiocese, we ask that any families who are considered for internal scholarships have a completed application on file. This is a critical element of maintaining a diverse and inclusive school community, so thank you for your support!
SAVE THE DATE:
Mon 2.14 Minimum Day 12:30pm Dismissal – Archdiocese Prof. Dev. Day
Valentine’s Day Class Parties – Uniform or Valentine’s Dress
Tues 2.15 Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences (Tues-Fri 12:30pm dismissal)
Mon 2.21 School Holiday – President’s Day
Wed 2.23 PTG Meeting
6pm – State of the School Address from Mr. Torres
Fri 2.25 End of Trimester II
Fri 3.4 Trimester II Reports Cards Published (via School Speak)
Mon 3.7 Trimester II Awards Assembly @ 8am