Good afternoon Shepherd families,
Here at Shepherd we are focusing much of our energy on planning for the 2021-22 school year. We are in the process of monitoring and updating our Comprehensive School Plan and securing some high-quality professional development opportunities for this summer and beyond. In addition, the personnel committee is interviewing candidates as several staff members are transitioning out of their roles at Shepherd.
Ms. Harvey is moving to Virginia with her family and is pursuing further graduate studies. Her calm, even presence and outstanding instruction will be greatly missed. When I first came to Shepherd, she agreed to move from second to fourth grades, and her flexibility and collaborative nature make her a beloved member of our staff. Mr. Langrock will be relocating with his family to North Carolina. Like Ms. Harvey, Mr. Langrock will be greatly missed for his equanimity and his craft. He teaches every grade at Shepherd and meets students where they are developmentally, always ensuring their safety and promoting their wellness. Ms. Johnson, a consummate early childhood educator, will be retiring at the end of this school year. She has touched so many lives over the course of her career and continues to bring joy and wonder to her students each and every day. She is a remarkable educator and a very special person, and we will miss her. All three of these teachers represent the best in education, and we will continue to celebrate their talents and commitment to the community until they leave us at the end of June.
Dr. Leonard is leading our summer program with Ms. Freeman. It runs from 7/12-7/23 from 9-2 daily. Student selection was based on teacher recommendation and achievement data. If you feel your student would benefit from the program, and you have not been contacted, please reach out to your child’s teacher. Students will received reading and math instruction daily as well as morning meeting. Staff will share their interests and hobbies as enrichment. More details are forthcoming.
Finally, we are in enrollment season, and like last year, you will enroll your student online. Please take time to carefully review the proof of residency requirements before submitting documentation. If your documents do not meet the requirements, your child cannot be enrolled. OSSE is unyielding about this aspect of enrollment, and Shepherd will not receive funding for students who are not enrolled properly. Thank you so much for your attention to this matter.
Please click here to review the Panorama survey decks for students; and here for families. At this Wednesday’s PTO meeting, I will review them with families. Family survey data declined across the board, but student data demonstrates gains. Thank you to the 200 families who completed the survey; almost every family in our community participated. The comments revealed a lot of frustration with limited in-person learning, and I hope satisfaction has increased as we have brought more students back to the school building. We are so happy to have them here.
Sincerely,
Phyllis