Visiting Good Shepherd School
We encourage you to visit the school to see our facility and our program in action. The best time to visit is
Thursdays between 8:00 and 9:30. Please call for an appointment (831-476-4000). Should
Thursdays not be convenient for you, other arrangements can be made.
Student Testing
The Iowa Test of Basic Skills has been mandated by the Diocese of Monterey and is given to students in grades 2-8. This testing takes place in the fall. Parents receive a report of their child's performance.
Learning Needs/Resources
Good Shepherd School is committed to the education of the whole child, and thus endeavors to meet the learning needs of all of its students. Boys and girls having difficulty in particular subject areas will receive assistance from classroom teachers and/or instructional aides where possible and as appropriate. Academic detention, outside tutoring, summer school or retention may also be recommended or required.
Students identified as having special learning needs, differences or disabilities will be accommodated insofar as is reasonable within the limitations of our schedule, class size, program, staff and budget. Specific accommodations, identified and recommended by a licensed educational therapist, will be reviewed, discussed and implemented where possible and as appropriate. The use of additional outside resources and/or transfer of the student to a more suitable educational setting may also be recommended or required.
Guidance and Counseling
Classroom teachers, by nature of their job, provide many counseling services. Some of these include:
- conflict resolution;
- discussion of developmental issues;
- development of self-help skills;
- consultation with parents;
- re-direction of student behavior as necessary.
The School Counselor assists parents and staff with the emotional and psychological development of the students.
Specific tasks of the counselor include:
- following up on referrals from teachers or parents;
- meeting annually with all new students;
- seeing students in grades K-8 who feel the need of support around particular short-term issues (e.g., divorce, death of a parent, adjustment to a new sibling, self-esteem, concerns about friendships at school);
- assisting parents regarding referrals to outside sources or agencies as the need arises;
- consulting regularly with faculty members regarding classroom concerns and interactions.
Student Health and Safety
Immunization Requirements (Preschool - 8)
The immunizations required by law and / or the Diocese of Monterey are polio, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. There shall be no waiver of these required immunizations. No child shall be accepted as a student of Good Shepherd unless he/she has been immunized against diphtheria, pertussis, hepatitis B, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps and rubella. A physician's certificate of proof of up-to-date immunization must be provided prior to acceptance.
Injuries and Illness
The School Office is equipped with first aid supplies and is used as an emergency center to give care in case of accident or illness at school. The office is not a clinic or treatment center. Children who are ill will be sent home after contact with parents or other persons identified on the student's emergency card. It is the responsibility of the parents to keep these emergency cards accurate with current information.
Medications
If a child has a health problem (diabetes, allergies, etc.), it is absolutely essential that this information be given to the school secretary and classroom teacher each year. School personnel may not / will not administer any type of medication to students without written permission from parents. Medication may not be kept in a student's desk. If your child needs to take medication during school hours, we must have a complete form from the child's physician on file and the medication must be left with the secretary in the school office. (For more information see the Family Handbook.)
To retrieve the appropriate medication
form, please follow these steps:
- Make sure your computer has Adobe Acrobat or its freely available reader, which is required to view and print PDF files;
- Click here to open the
Medication Authorization Release form in Acrobat reader;
- Print the file.
Classroom Volunteers
Parents and others who wish to work at the school site must be finger-printed through the Diocese of Monterey and present proof of TB testing within the past four years. Necessary fingerprint forms are available in the school office. All volunteers must sign the visitor book and make themselves a name tag. Cell phones are not to be brought into the classroom.
Classroom volunteers are guests in the class room and are under the direction of the teacher. As such, any issues/problems with students must be directed to the classroom teacher.
Library
A curriculum centered library is available at school and students use it regularly, for story time, developing library skills and checking out books.
Library books and materials may be borrowed for one week. Items are returned during library time each week or put in the red crate marked returning books/videos. Most books can be renewed twice except for videos which will only have a one week check out.
Please see Appendix ii for Library Fines. Borrowers with excessive fines or items not returned will be excluded from borrowing until items are returned and fines paid. Students in Kindergarten through Grade 3 will not be charged late fees, however, they will be excluded from borrowing until the issue has been cleared.
Each patron will have their own personalized library card with their own personal identification bar code number. Any
Good Shepherd student, staff or family members of students may borrow a book and use all the components of the library.
Computer Lab
The school computer lab is a valuable teaching resource for our students. All computers on campus are networked through central servers that provide file and printer sharing, e-mail, web and internet access. Students have class time in the computer lab each week. In addition, each class is encouraged to create its own web page.
Weekly Bulletin
Good Shepherd School makes every effort to keep parents informed about coming events and activities. Each Tuesday during the school year, the Ram Review is sent home via the students. Once a month, a calendar is also included in the brown envelope. Parents are encouraged to read the Ram carefully, and then to sign and return the envelope to school the next day. If your son or daughter comes home on Tuesday without the envelope, please ask them where it is! The Ram is a critical communication device between home and school. You can also read the
Ram Review on this web site.
Uniform and Appearance
Students are expected to be in complete uniform at all times, except on Free Dress days or when otherwise notified. Students have a Regular Uniform (K-8) and a P.E. Uniform (Gr. 1-8), both of which can be purchased at Merry Mart in Santa Clara. Parents are responsible to see that their children are dressed in the correct uniform when leaving home in the morning. Students out of uniform for any reason may be sent home to change and/or lent clothing from the "next-to-new" uniform closet. By registering their children at Good Shepherd, parents indicate their intention to support and uphold the uniform code.
Uniform Code
No over-sized baggy clothing is permitted.
|
Boys Uniform
|
| |
K5 |
6-8 |
| Pants/Shorts |
Navy Twill
(with black, blue, brown or khaki belt) |
Khaki Twill
(with black, blue, brown or khaki belt) |
| Shirts |
White Polo |
White Polo |
Socks
(must be worn) |
White or Navy |
White or Navy |
| Shoes |
Low-top with laces and closed backs, buckle or Velcro closures (athletic low-tops are acceptable); must be black, blue, white or brown |
Low-top with laces and closed backs, buckle or Velcro closures (athletic low-tops are acceptable); must be black, blue, white or brown |
| Sweatshirt or Sweater |
GSS Dark (logo) Green |
GSS (Logo) Navy |
| PE |
GSS logo green
shorts or sweats;
GSS logo T-shirt |
GSS logo blue
shorts or sweats;
GSS logo T-shirt |
|
Girls Uniform
|
| |
K-5 |
6-8 |
Jumper (K-3)
Skirt (4-5) |
Campbell plaid |
Blackwatch Plaid |
| Pants/Shorts |
Navy Twill (with black, blue, brown or khaki belt) |
Khaki Twill (with black, blue, brown or khaki belt) |
| Blouse |
White Peter Pan or Polo |
White Polo |
| Socks (must be worn) |
White or Navy ankle, knee or tights. No leggings |
White or Navy ankle, knee or tights. No leggings |
| Shoes |
Low-top with laces and closed backs, buckle or Velcro closures (athletic low-tops are acceptable); must be black, blue, white or brown. Heels should not be higher than ¾". |
Low-top with laces and closed backs, buckle or Velcro closures (athletic low-tops are acceptable); must be black, blue, white or brown. Heels should not be higher than ¾". |
| Sweatshirt or Sweater |
GSS Dark (logo) Green |
GSS (logo) Navy |
| PE |
GSS logo green
shorts or sweats
GSS logo T-shirt |
GSS logo blue
shorts or sweats
GSS logo T-shirt |
Boys/Girls
Hair: Neat, clean. No coloring, bleaching or streaking. Boys' hair length must be above the collar
Non-Uniform Items
Because the uniform is designed to promote simplicity, non-competition in dress and a focus on school rather than fashion, the following non-uniform items are NOT allowed at school:
- Jewelry (other than simple watches, small rings or small earrings)
- Colored nail polish
- Make-up (including lip gloss and mascara)
- Open-toe, open-heel or high-heeled shoes
- Chains, tattoos or body-piercing
- Caps or hats in the classroom; outside only on sunny days
- Beanies or bandanas
While non-uniform coats and jackets may be worn to school on cold days, they are for outside wear only and not allowed in the classroom.
Free Dress
Occasionally, students are given free dress days. They are notified of these days well in advance, usually at Morning Assembly. On such days, clothing appropriate for school must be worn. The following guidelines apply to Free Dress days:
BOYS: shirts with sleeves; long or short pants; socks and appropriate shoes. No flip-flops. No sweat pants. No T-shirts with graphics.
GIRLS: blouses, jumpers, skirts, dresses, culottes, shorts or slacks; no long dresses, mini-skirts, short-shorts or tight-fitting jeans/pants. No high heels, flip-flops or clogs. No bare midriff, low-cut or spaghetti-strap tops.
Students dressed inappropriately on Free Dress days will be sent home to change.
Lockers
Students in Grades 6-8 are assigned lockers and instructed to keep them locked at all times. Seventh and eighth graders must keep their books in the locker, securing items they need for class during the morning break and at lunch time. Only school-supplied combination locks are allowed. Lost locks will be replaced at a cost of five dollars ($5.)
Lost and Found
Students at all grade levels should clearly mark their belongings with their name. Good Shepherd School assumes no responsibility for lost, misplaced or stolen items.
Loss of textbooks, clothing and other essential items should be reported immediately to the homeroom teacher.
Small items (jewelry, glasses, etc.) are turned into the School Office and displayed in the window.
Clothing found around the school is placed in the Lost and Found, located on the stage in the gym.
Valuable items and large sums of money should never be brought to school.
Emergency Management
The Good Shepherd School faculty and staff are trained in First Aid and CPR. Students are familiar with school emergency procedures and regularly practice both fire and earthquake drills. All students and staff have school-supplied emergency packets at school for their personal use during a disaster.
In the event of a disaster during school hours, the school-wide disaster plan will go into effect. Children will be held at school until released to parent or authorized person listed on the Family Emergency Card. Injured children will be transported to an appropriate emergency facility, if possible. IT IS THE PARENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP THE EMERGENCY CARD INFORMATION
UP TO DATE.
In case of a disaster, do not try to telephone the school as all staff members will be assigned to assist with students. Information will be released by emergency broadcast stations.
All parents, or designated parties, who come for children, are to check in first at the designated Emergency Center. Children must be signed out both from here and by their classroom teacher. Teachers are required to take roll regularly and to keep a record of children picked up by authorized adults.
FAMILIES ARE STRONGLY URGED TO PREPARE EMERGENCY PLANS FOR HOME USE DURING SUCH AN UNEXPECTED DISASTER.
