Good afternoon families, Thank you to families that supported the IB reaccreditation process. The visit was a resounding success, and reviewers commented on how well prepared and organized we were. On Wednesday, they shared their preliminary feedback on a call with me, Ms. Mack and Ms. Rottman, none of which was surprising to us. We should be receiving the written evaluation report in a few weeks — more to come. Kindergarten CARE is off and running. Ms. Rottman and Ms. Mack have created an aesthetically pleasing, socially distanced space, and Ms. Rottman organized student supplies, paperwork and materials to perfection. Thank you Mr. Verastegui, Mr. Henderson, Ms. Jones, Ms. Mack and Ms. Rottman for making it happen. The children are so excited to come to school, and life is much brighter with their presence in the building. Thank you to all of you who are participating in EdFest tomorrow. It is a lot to ask of people to volunteer on a Saturday in December, yet we always have people who do. You are greatly appreciated. I also want to commend all of you working on the Reopening Community Corps. Members of the Corps have been submitted options and plans this week, and … Read More

Good afternoon Shepherd Families, Our Kindergarten CARE classroom opens on Wednesday, December 9th with Mr. Verastegui and Mr. Henderson and Ms. Jackson from Alice Deal MS. Thank you so much for the tremendous response to our Term 3 Reopening Survey. We have over 300 responses. This data will inform the Reopening Community Corps’ work. At this point we have had two meetings with two to go to draft our plan. The Corps will report out to the Shepherd community in early January. Thank you to all who are participating in this work. Attached please find work from Elinor Foley, a student in Ms. McIntyre’s class. She presents it as an exemplar of grade 2 IB students taking action. Elinor’s submission was completely unsolicited. Her dedication to this subject matter, as well as her display of the risk taker and knowledgeable learner profile is noteworthy. It is particularly timely to showcase as our IB reaccreditation team is conducting its evaluation next week virtually with students, staff and families. Wish us luck, and please send good wishes Ms. Mack’s way. Her tireless dedication to the process, her flexibility with working with others and her ingenuity make her a fantastic addition to the … Read More

Good evening families, We are almost at Thanksgiving Break — a well-earned respite from screens, mute buttons, chats and participant lists. We are on the verge of saying goodbye to 2020, and even though it has tested us, we continue to be reminded of how much for which we are grateful. When I count my blessings on Thursday, all of you will be among them. I am so thankful for the warmth, support, compassion and commitment of our community.  This week, we received some ELA achievement date and the results of the Student Panorama survey. Beginning of the year data for ELA conveys that students are performing at approximately the same level at BOY as they did in SY 2019-20. Although Shepherd saw a decrease of 6% in Dibels (K-2), which measures early literacy, for 20-21 BOY, there was a 2% increase in TRC (K-1), which measures fluency and comprehension, and a 7% increase in RI (2), which measures comprehension. The Student Panorama data, which is collected through a survey of students in grades 3, 4 and 5, demonstrated that virtual relationships, though not what we desire, are working, and Shepherd continues to make gains in making its students feel love, challenged and … Read More

Good afternoon families, It has been a lot of fun visiting with families during materials pick up today. Your support, praise for our staff and positivity were so uplifting. Thank you! I know we are all frustrated with the uncertainty and responsibilities that the pandemic has brought, but I feel so fortunate to be a part of a community that remains steadfast and upbeat in such challenging times. It is a gift. It was a big week here at Shepherd! The Mayor and Chancellor were here on Tuesday. The Mayor led a ribbon cutting for the community center. Then the Chancellor and the Mayor led a walk through of our facility for the media. Yesterday, the Mayor’s Office came to film a short piece on our facility improvements, which I hosted. I will share the link as soon as I get it:). As you know, Shepherd will not open a CARE classroom next week. As the Chancellor noted in his email, more schools will phase in CARE classrooms in the weeks to come. I will provide as much information as possible at the PTA meeting on Wednesday. I look forward to seeing you then. I am hopeful about the efficacy … Read More

Dear Families, Ms. Rottman and I continue to prepare for the reopening of school. Next week, the custodians will set up socially distanced classrooms and place decals to maintain distance in common areas. Student selection begins next week as well, and we will be reaching out to families who are offered a spot to confirm their enrollment decisions. And virtual school continues. I visited a variety of math classrooms today and observed your children discussing terminating decimals, counting to nine and making true number sentences. Students and teachers are working hard regardless of their learning environment, and I commend their efforts, perseverance and ability to make the best out of a tough situation. Thank you for all of your efforts to support distance learning. I know it is challenging to be responsible for your work and your children’s work, and you keep your home running too. I look forward to the day when we can look back on all of this and wonder how we did it. Until then, I am grateful for your patience, grace and most of all for your children who give us all hope, inspiration and light. Enjoy your weekend! Phyllis Kids Ride Free Cards If you … Read More

Hi Shepherd families, I hope you all enjoyed this long fall weekend and took time to rest, relax, and have fun. Ms. Rottman and I have been filling out templates, attending webinars, visiting classroom simulations and thinking through logistics for November 9th. We hope to have more information to share this week. In the meantime, please read the following items carefully and respond if applicable. Your responses will assist our planning. With gratitude, Phyllis Parent Portal DCPS is activating Parent Portal for families to view student attendance and receive published report cards starting with Term 1. Please respond to this email only if you do not want Portal Access. If you agree to participate, you will receive an email the first week of November with information on how to login and use Parent Portal to view 1st Semester grades. Siblings with Different Last Names If your family has siblings with different last names, please let us know their names immediately. This will help us plan live instruction since DCPS is striving to keep siblings together if they are physically in school.

Dear Families, This week we concluded our Back to School Nights. Thank you to all of you who attended and provided your support and feedback. We have made some adjustments based on your input. Please continue to let us know how things are going. Today we will have our final pick up for PK-5 students. Please come to Shepherd if you have not yet picked up supplies or any essential student belongings. We are preparing the building as Shepherd is an early voting site and need to clear out the atrium. Thanks so much for your cooperation. This Friday there will not be classes so parents can attend conferences with Shepherd teachers. Your homeroom teachers will communicate their sign up procedures. If you would like to meet with a Specials teacher, please use the links below to secure a time. Art French Library Music Physical Education Spanish Thank you, and have a fantastic weekend! Phyllis LAST CALL PK-5th Grade Supplies and Belongings TODAY PK-5 families can come to pick up learning materials for Math (K-5), ELA (K-2), white boards and any personal belongings left in last year’s classrooms. PK-5 Pick Up Tuesday, October 6th            8:30 am-4:30 pm Please observe social distancing … Read More

Dear Families, It was wonderful to see so many of you at this week’s Back to School Nights. We appreciate your attendance and thoughtful questions and feedback. As I reflect on the milestones I shared at Back to School Nights these last two weeks, I wonder how our students can possibly reconcile their passion for fairness and justice with the failure of the grand jury in Kentucky to hold the police officers in the Breonna Taylor case accountable. The answer is that they cannot and should not; none of us can. Kentucky’s attorney general, Daniel Cameron, announced Wednesday that one police officer would be charged, not in the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, but with endangering her neighbors with reckless gunfire. What does that scream to Ms. Taylor’s family and all of us about the value of her life in our justice system? The case forced no one to be held responsible for her murder. When we cannot grasp that, what do our students do? Our call to action is greater than it has ever been. Since our last newsletter we also lost Ruth Bader Ginsburg. What does the replacement of her seat on the Supreme Court mean for justice? … Read More

Dear Families, Yet another busy week at Shepherd! Wednesday’s PTA meeting was well-attended and productive, and last night we had our first virtual Back to School Meeting with 5th grade families, which was successful due to strong parent participation, thorough teacher planning and optimism all around. Please find the schedule for the remaining grade-level back to school nights below. We look forward to seeing you. Next Monday and Tuesday, we will have additional pick up for K-5 students. Pre-K, the iPads are at the warehouse and won’t be delivered until late next week. I will send an announcement for PK pick up once devices are in. Please stay tuned, and I apologize for the delay. As a reminder, students and teachers in your student’s classroom enter your home each day. Please be mindful of language, discussions and attire in your home when your student is in school. We have had a few incidents that made teachers and students uncomfortable. I am happy to discuss this further if you have any questions. Please see the announcements below, and have a wonderful weekend! Phyllis Shepherd Virtual Learning Expectations: -Students are expected to be ready with materials to learn at the beginning of each class period … Read More