Good Shepherd Montessori School

I am incredibly sad, but GSMS school has essentially fallen apart. The staff have been wonderful, but my son has had 4 different teacher leave for various reasons. I'm getting the feeling staff are being paid less than promised and asked to work longer hours than they are being paid for. His head teacher left, effective immediately thanks to the owner. Apparently it could not wait 6 weeks. Just a poor decision. All the turnover was separately explainable, but altogether it's just too much and tells me that something is wrong. Now, of the remaining 8 staff at the school, 6 are leaving, even teachers that have been there for over a decade, which is a definite red flag. Also, the owner announced at the last PTO meeting that the school will no longer have mandatory chapel or be a Christian school. I'm so sad things ended like this, but the staff are in no way to blame. Maybe one day this school can get back the the wonderful place it once was, but without new ownership, I do not see that happening.

My son has been in the lower elementary program for about a year and a half. After a very bad experience in public school, I have seen him blossom with Mrs. Austin. She is such a dedicated and kind-hearted teacher that loves all children. He also loves the addition of Mrs. Amy in the after school program so much that he gets upset when he is picked up early because he doesn't want to miss her daily craft. We came during the transition of the new owners and I admit that in the beginning I had concerns, but now I feel like we are apart of a family that has my child's best interests at heart. Change is tough. Leonie and Deb in the office have been very proactive in concerns with my son (regarding him, not the school itself) and I feel like all of GSMS rallied around us as we went through a rough patch to ensure his success. If you are looking for state of the art, shiny and new you will be disappointed. This is an older school but well loved. It feels like home. We are truly blessed to be at GSMS. Beth M.

If you are looking for a school environment where your child is nurtured and encouraged to be who he or she wants to be while discovering the joy of learning, then GSMS is that place! The children have a very strong sense of confidence, leadership, and are accepting of each other. Our children have benefited from this great learning and community-building experience at GSMS. They are doing well academically which is very important to us as parents, but when you also consider the value to a child of a great foundation built on kindness, acceptance, and self-confidence - to a parent, that is priceless for the child's future! The teachers and staff at GSMS are all very caring, nurturing, and great with the children! I think this is a place that every child should have a chance to experience, and I encourage any parent searching for a school to visit GSMS!

We began the enrollment process six months ago, fully disclosing our son s dairy allergy, his care plan, and other food sensitivities. Staff expressed no concerns; our deposit accepted. We began planning his transition here; thus discontinuing current child care arrangements. Less than two weeks before our son was to begin, we received notification from GS that per the Department of Licensing; he could not be admitted because they would have to become dairy-free. Receiving this information at such a late date caused undue stress regarding our son s childcare. Food allergic kids attend school daily with epi-pen plans. We have not found any school required by licensing to be dairy-free for admission; an unreasonable accommodation vs epi-pen plan. After more commutation with staff, it was apparent GS was reluctant to accept him evident by: request we sign a liability waiver; assertion that Licensing required they become dairy-free; initial notification that our admission was being rescinded and deposit returned. Last minute notifications and several decision reversals show administrative capacity lacks. Coupled with reluctance to accept our son, he will not be attending here.

Curious, creative, confident, compassionate, considerate, and independent - aren't these the qualities we would all like to see in our children? My husband and I are very happy to note that these are the qualities we see in our child who has been a student at Good Shepherd Montessori for the past 6 years. We did a lot of school-searching before selecting Good Shepherd and we are glad we did. Yes, there have been many changes at the school in the time our child has been a student there (especially in this past year with new ownership), but none of those changes has ever interfered with his learning or his school experience. What excites us (and many other families and faculty members) about the new ownership of the school is their whole-hearted commitment to sustaining Good Shepherd as a classical Christian Montessori school here in McKinney, and their vision for the future in terms of improved facilities and growth. Our child's education is always a top priority for us, and choosing Good Shepherd has been one of the best choices we have ever made.