Dear Families, Happy Friday! We only have fourteen school days left, and we are grateful that the heat has subsided. It was hot out there during recess. So many thanks to Ms. Pereira and our talented students who performed so well at Lights! Camera! Action! In the multipurpose room last night. Students obviously enjoyed showcasing their talents, and the audience was enthusiastic and appreciative. Thanks to Ms. Murali and Ms. Mack who supported with tech and taping for streaming. Today, Madame Gadie took a group of fifth graders to participate at a Model UN debate at the Ronal Reagan building. They represented France. Our spirit weeks are coming, our spirit weeks are coming! The first one starts on Monday, June 6th. Here is what is in store: June 6 — Dress for the beach June 7 — Crazy Hat/Wacky Hair Day June 8 — Shepherd Spirit Day June 9 — FIELD DAY June 10 — Pajama Day June 13 — Crazy Sock Day June 14 — Twin Day June 15 — Shepherd Spirit Day June 16— College Spirit Day June 17 — Pajama Day Field Day in on Thursday, June 9th on the lower field and gymnasium. PK 3, PK … Read More

Dear Families, Happy Memorial Day weekend — our official kick off to summer! Summer means fun, and now that testing is over, Mustangs are geared up to have some fun. What is in store? Two spirit weeks, field day, moving up ceremony for PK 4, field trip for 2nd grade and exhibition AND promotion for our fifth graders. And other celebrations that have not yet been finalized . . . stay tuned. A savvy fifth grader negotiated not one but two spirit weeks to end the year, one the week of the 7th and the other the week of the 13th. Here is what is in store: June 6 — Dress for the beach June 7 — Crazy Hat/Wacky Hair Day June 8 — Shepherd Spirit Day June 9 — FIELD DAY June 10 — Pajama Day June 13 — Crazy Sock Day June 14 — Twin Day June 16 — Shepherd Spirit Day June 17 — College Spirit Day June 18 — Pajama Day Through exhibitions and in alignment with our IB into action for social justice initiative, our fifth-grade students are becoming expert fundraisers and social activists — we certainly need them. One of the exhibition groups is … Read More

Dear Families, Many thanks to Ms. Mack for all of her hard work this week as she served not only as test coordinator, technology coordinator, and IB coordinator but also as principal designee. I have been out with Covid this week with mild symptoms and have been working remotely. I am so grateful for her support of the Shepherd community every week but especially this week when I was unable to be in the building. I look forward to returning to school next week! We have been averaging one to two confirmed Covid-19 cases a day. If you are concerned about your student, please have them wear a mask in school. Masks remain optional per DCPS policy. Unvaccinated close contacts must quarantine between 5-10 days; vaccinating your children means they do not have to miss school unless they test positive for Covid-19. Our Panorama student, staff and family survey results are here. As I reported last week, Shepherd has seen significant gains in the Loved, Challenged and Prepared indicators for our students. Students are happy to be at school, and we all should feel happy about that! Have a good weekend, and I will see you next week! Principal Hedlund … Read More

(View full newsletter for accompanying graphics) Dear families, Unfortunately, we have a rainy weekend in store, but rain is great for sleeping, relaxing and cleaning. My youngest comes home from college tomorrow, and everyone will be in the house with me for a brief time. I cannot wait! Speaking of cleaning, we have moved all the lost and found items to the atrium. The atrium is open to families all next week to search through the lost and found. Items are sorted by color. Any items not retrieved by next Friday will be donated. There are many, many jackets and many, many sweatshirts in those piles. We received some excellent news this week that I will share in more detail at the PTO meeting. We have significant gains in our LCP index, particularly in the Loved domain:). Family survey data held steady with neither increases nor decreases. No major changes with staff data either, but it remains low. The comparison is to DCPS.  Have a great weekend, and stay well!   Phyllis  Upcoming Events:  LSAT 5/18 4:30 pm  PTO 5/18 6:30 pm 

Dear Families, I have made a lot of decisions in my life, and the very best one was to have children. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and grandmothers in our community. I hope you enjoy a beautiful weekend with the people who love you most. We have completed PARCC testing for third and fourth graders. On Tuesday, May 10th, our fifth graders will take the PARCC. So far we only have a handful of students for make up testing — thank you! Madame Gadie’s fifth grade students performed for parents, classmates and a representative from the French Embassy this week. The students and Madame Gadie outdid themselves as usual, and having a live audience was a real treat. Thanks to all the parents who joined us. Today, some of our fifth grade girls travelled with Ms. Pereira to participate in DC Honors Chorus for a day of intensive rehearsals and recording. Thank you to Ms. Pereira who provided students with this fantastic opportunity. Once again, Happy Mother’s Day,Principal Hedlund May PTO Meeting 5/18 6:30 pmMay LSAT Meeting 5/18 4:30 pm5th grade promotion 6/22 4:30 pm

Dear Families, When I went to thank PK 4 this morning, I asked them whether they were 4 or 40 because it is hard to believe children that young were able to create such an AMAZING all-school meeting. Many thanks to Ms. Holt, Ms. Hunter, Ms. Raji and Ms. Conte for their creativity, patience and tons of hard work. Well done!! Thanks to Ms. Mack this week’s PARCC testing for third graders went off without a hitch. Next week, fourth grades will take the PARCC on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Thursday, May 5th is the PRINCIPAL INTERVIEW DAY. I am sure that the panel will find an outstanding leader for the Shepherd community. The PTO Gala is tomorrow evening, and I hope to see many of you there. It is my first in my three years of service:). Attached are some photos from Ms. Conte’s African Dance Club. Enjoy your weekend,Phyllis

Good afternoon Shepherd families, On Monday, April 18, students are to take the easy to use, at-home test and follow the instructions provided. Families may choose to utilize your own testing option, but tests administered before April 18 will not be accepted. Upload your test results the same day. Provide proof of your test results to dcpsreopenstrong.com/safereturn by Monday, April 18 at 9 PM. Coming out of Spring Break, I have some important staffing announcements: Ms. Scott will be the new Shepherd librarian for SY22-23.  Mr. Morris will be the CES teacher for grades 3-5. Ms. Zepeda is back as of today!!!!! Ms. Deane will teach Art for the remainder of this school year.  Ms. Hernandez will teach Spanish for the rest of the school year. Mr. Hernandez is on leave. AP Phillips will not be returning as Assistant Principal next year. Thank you for your service to our community. We are almost fully staffed for next school year. We are still in search of a custodian and 6 instructional aides for our CES classrooms. Thank you for your support, Principal Hedlund April 19th         3rd grade Coffee and Conversation  April 2oth        Faculty Meeting  April 20th         LSAT 4:30 pm  April 20th    … Read More

Dear Shepherd Families, Today was the 1st grade marketplace, which provide hands-on experience in economics. Parents and fifth graders (and, of course, our fantastic 1st grade team) were there to support their learning. Check it out! Thank you for the kind emails and texts that I received today. I am taking a year to pursue a creative project and determine in what capacity I would like to return to education. When you lead the best school in town, there is no other school to go to. Erin Scott, fifth grade teacher, will be the new librarian at Shepherd Elementary. With her deep knowledge of IB and STEM expertise, Ms. Scott will be a valued thought partner across grade and content areas. Thank you for taking on this role that will enhance the learning experience of all students. We are excited to see what you will do!! Attached is information for our i-Ready challenge in Math and ELA for students in K-5. The challenge starts on 4/11-4/30. Top performers will be invited to an all-school celebration!! Please enjoy the break and time with family and friends. We will see you on April 19th. Principal Hedlund April 11-15 Spring Break April 18th … Read More