Dear Shepherd Families,
We have a lot of good news on the staffing front. Ms. Mami Buxton joined our staff as a first-grade teacher, and students will transition from Denmark-Lawal and Saxton’s sections on Monday. Welcome Ms. Buxton! She taught at Leckie for 8 years and is thrilled to be back in DCPS. Next week brings the return of Ms. Romero. She will serve as our TLI Mathematics and will provide coaching to teachers and internvention to students. This week also saw the return of Mr. Talbert-Jackson who has and will be substituting in the building and will be an educational aide once he is onboarded. Ms. Fatima Raji, will also be an aide after she completes the onboarding process. In addition, the Chancellor has notified us that a full-time substitute will be assigned to each school. We are excited to have more hands to help serve the children.
Next week, we have our PTO meeting from 6:30-7:30 pm on Wednesday. There will be a Coffee & Conversation for PK 3 families at 8:30 am on Tuesday in the cafeteria. Enter at the Jonquil entrance, adjacent to the community center. Please see the important announcements below as well as Panorama Student Survey information for families with students in grades 3-5. Looking forward to seeing you!
Principal Hedlund
Kida Euro Festival
Madame Gadie wanted to share the Kids Euro Festival, which is happening here in D.C. This festival is one of the largest performing arts festivals for children in America, bringing some of Europe’s most talented children’s entertainers to the nation’s capital physically and virtually. This festival is free and runs from October 9th to October 30th. Please use the link to access all activities: https://events.euintheus.org/landing_page/kids-euro-fest/
Family History Month
We want to celebrate you this month since October is Family History Month. We would like to gather family photos that highlight your culture and uniqueness through special clothing and fashion if possible. If you would like to participate, please upload a festive family photo that invites us to learn more about your family’s culture to this folder by Tuesday, October 19th FamilyHistoryFashionShow (specifics on how to upload will be included in the folder). We would like families from all parts of the world to participate! All families whether you are from the US or abroad are invited to showcase.
PK3 Coffee and Conversation
Tuesday, October 19th 8:30 am in the cafeteria. Please enter at the Jonquil side entrance, adjacent to the community center.
Madame Gadie’s French Website
Madame Gadie has created an amazing tool for her French students and their families: https://www.madamegadiesfrenchclass.com/
Halloween Parade
There will be a Halloween parade on Friday, October 29th at 2:30 pm. We will parade around the perimeter of the school like last time. Parents will be able to sign their children out at the end of the parade.
Dear Parents and Guardians and Adult Students,
We are excited to announce that the Fall 2021 Panorama Student Survey will open on Tuesday, October 12!
Twice a year, we ask students in grades 3 and higher to complete a survey about social emotional learning for DC Public Schools, the Panorama Student Survey, to help DCPS and school administrators better understand what students think about their school experiences and their social and emotional learning. This fall, the student survey will be open from October 12 to October 29. Every student will be able to take the survey by signing in with their student ID at https://surveys.panoramaed.com/dcps/login. Some schools will administer the survey in class online or on paper.
You may opt your child out of the student survey if you do not want your child to take it. If you are a student 18 or older and do not want to take it, you may opt yourself out of the survey. The deadline to opt out is October 8. If you do NOT want your child to take the Panorama Student Survey this fall, or if you are a student 18 or older and do not want to take the survey, fill out this form by October 8, 2021: Fall 2021 Panorama Student Opt-Out. To fill out the form, you need your child’s student ID.
This survey is voluntary and confidential. Your child is not required to participate, but the feedback would be very valuable. This survey asks only for your child’s honest experience and opinions. Your child’s grades will not be affected by his or her responses. Your child’s privacy will be protected to the extent allowed by law. Your child’s name will never be used in reports. As in previous years, the survey asks students in grades 6-12 about their gender and sexual identity. These questions help the district promote equitable treatment for all students in accordance with our Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Policy Guidance. They are entirely voluntary, and students who are not comfortable answering can skip them.
Schools use survey results to better understand your child’s needs. Part of DCPS’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports initiative (MTSS @ DCPS) is the use of the Panorama Student Success portal, which enables teachers and staff to see students’ Panorama results side-by-side with academic, attendance, and behavioral data. Using Panorama Student Success, teachers can see your child’s average scores on different SEL topics on the survey. They cannot see how a student answered individual questions and will NOT see any information from Student Satisfaction questions or questions on gender and sexual identity. The platform is secure and can be accessed only by teachers or staff at a student’s school.
If you have any questions regarding the Panorama Student Survey and the Panorama Student Success platform or if you want to see the survey questions students will receive, please visit https://dcps.dc.gov/surveys.
Sincerely,
DC Public Schools