Dear Family & Friends of Good Shepherd School:

“Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind’” Based on a poem published by Robert Burns, “Auld Lang Syne” is the traditional song
that one hears every New Year’s Eve, which is translated literally as “Old Long Ago.” We are all familiar with the stroke of midnight on December 31st and the crowd bursting into this song, reminding us of reconnecting with old friends and thinking about old times. Everyone in the field of education knows that the real new year is September 1st, not January 1st! We operate on the academic calendar, which is from September to June, not the yearly calendar from January through December. The new year means looking forward to connecting with folks we haven’t seen over the summer, buying new books and supplies, getting academic planners ready, and organizing schedules; it does not mean party hats, champagne and noisemakers! New Year’s resolutions pertaining to the school year are made in September, just as resolutions to lose weight or to quit smoking are made in January.

Here at Good Shepherd School the new September resolution is “No Stress.” There is a lot of preparation underway in September with supply ordering, scheduling, and room decorating so everything will be ready for our children and parents on “Orientation Night,” Tuesday, September 6th, at 7:00 p.m. However, we are here to ensure that the children of Good Shepherd receive a wonderful faith-based education. So in the grand scheme of things it does not really matter if the bulletin board paper is the wrong color or that we do not have the exact size binder clip in the supply cabinet. What does matter is the safe, nurturing, and loving environment that everyone will notice the minute they walk into the school. Parents and guests will see a flock of “Little Lambs” (infants), a herd of “Bunnies” (toddlers), a den of “Good News Bears”, and a loveliness of “Love Bugs” (nursery); a parliament of “Owls”, a kaleidoscope of “Butterflies”, and a swarm of “Busy Bees” (pre-K) all along the hallways. Children will be have
many new enrichment classes this school year: art, sports, S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), and music as well as a special creative movement class taught in both the fall and spring by our very own Mrs. Angel Lorch. The entire school will join Pastor Eric, Vicar Adam, and “Jelly” (Mrs. Kathy Ocker’s alter-ego) for chapels each Monday morning. In addition, there will be an opening chapel for the school staff on Wednesday, September 8th when we will all come together to worship as one faith community.

For their new year the Parent Teacher Club (PTC) is busily preparing for the next big fundraiser which will be the Paint Night to be held on Wednesday, September 28th, at 7:00 p.m. The proceeds from this event will go toward buying a new fence for our playground so that it can be divided into two separate play areas for multiple-aged children. Due to their extraordinary fundraising efforts and events last school year, the PTC raised money for our brand new canopy, which is now hung over the playground. Paint Night will be a great event for “Ladies Night Out” or for a “Date Night” so please come out and support the school with this fundraiser. We ask that you continue to keep the staff and school families in your prayers.

Peace and Blessings,

Teresa Ratkowski
Director