Dear Families, For me, remembering the 19th anniversary of 9/11 during this pandemic is staggering. Many of those who were babies when that tragedy occurred are about to vote for the first time, and across the country, cities are honoring the victims and heroes today. As I greet families as they enter the building, I realize how much everyone has going on in their lives aside from the pandemic and how much more difficult it is to endure challenges under these conditions. In our community, people have lost family members, moved, undergone surgeries and illnesses, and experienced personal anguish for a variety of reasons. Thank you for the patience and grace you have shown us and each other as we move through these times. Our teachers and families have been positive, upbeat and supportive, and this is what makes Shepherd the very special community it is. It was great to see a number of you yesterday and today picking up learning materials. We will be distributing materials again on Monday from noon to 5:00 pm. A lot of this week’s information is a repeat of last week’s but good to have on hand. I hope to see many of you at the … Read More

Dear Families, Thank you for your patience and support during our first week of school. We did our best to address all the challenges students faced logging on, raising their hands and having access to devices. From what I have observed, instruction is as strong as ever, and we will continue to fine tune as we go along. Please continue to share your feedback. It is the only way for us to improve your student’s experience. As always, I hope that everyone is back in the building soon. They are putting finishing touches on the gymnasium and the cafeteria. The artists will be installing their work soon. We have a lot to look forward to! During our pre-service week, the staff agreed on some norms for virtual learning. Please see those expectations below. We appreciate your support as we try to make virtual learning as productive as possible. Shepherd Virtual Learning Expectations: -Students are expected to be ready with materials to learn at the beginning of each class period with all necessary materials (electronic device, charger, paper, pencils, etc.) -Students should be seated upright, on task, listening actively, and following directions in quiet space designated for learning. -Unless a student … Read More

Hi Shepherd families, Looking forward to seeing everyone this week!  Here is a helpful guide for parents and caregivers to support virtual learning. The guide contains information about Canvas, student schedules, requesting a device, family wellness and more. Below is also a DCPS Tech FAQ for a quick review.  SY20-21 DCPS Technical Support Frequently Asked Questions.pdf Expanded Meal Sites For Students While learning at home is taking place, student meal service will be free at 47 DCPS schools around the District. Meals consist of an entrée, fruit serving and/or vegetable serving, and a milk. DCPS students may visit any DCPS meal site of their choosing to receive a free meal. DCPS meal service is open every Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Review the list of all locations at coronavirus.dc.gov/food. Technical Support For Families We know that technical questions or troubleshooting needs may arise when learning at home. DCPS and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) are partnering to provide a family-facing technical support center. The Family Call Center will launch on Monday, August 31. We can be your first point of contact re: tech issues on the school level.  Instructional Coach Ms. Moorefield (K-1st grade – [email protected]) Assistant Principal … Read More

Dear Families, This has been a very busy week for Shepherd staff as they have been working to set up their virtual classrooms and learning how to do so almost simultaneously. We also spent some time with Ms. Mack, our International Baccalaureate Coordinator, on a virtual IB program. Yesterday we spent the morning launching two book studies for the year. Staff will be reading the Responsive Classroom text, The Power of Our Words, which offers practical tips, real-life anecdotes and concrete examples on how to use your words to build a positive classroom community and increase student engagement. We also will be reading Glenn Singleton’s Courageous Conversations About Race: A field guide for achieving equity in schools, which explains the need for candid, courageous conversations about race so that educators may understand why achievement inequality persists and learn how they can develop a curriculum that promotes true educational equity and excellence. We are excited about learning together to build a kinder, more equitable school community, and I will provide highlights along the way. Please see below for important information for Monday. Everything your student(s) need to participate will be on Canvas; please see the log in instructions. If you are experiencing log in … Read More

Good afternoon families, It was wonderful to see so many of you on Zoom this week. Your thoughts and questions are invaluable to our planning. Please continue to provide input, and we will have listening sessions again the second or third week of school. I have a lot of information to share this week! You will find out your homeroom teachers by close of business on Wednesday, August 26th. I will get that information out as soon as possible. Living Through History DCPS students in every grade and across every subject will kick off the school year with the Living through History cornerstone. Cornerstones are high-quality, powerful lessons that are embedded in the DCPS curriculum. Students will act as global citizens by documenting, sharing, advocating, and reflecting on their personal experiences during the pandemic and a time of increased awareness and response to racial injustice. During the cornerstone, elementary students will create class time capsules. There will be more details on Living through History in the coming weeks. Health Forms Please email your health forms to Ms. Brooks at [email protected]. Thank you! Meal Assistance District of Columbia Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day. Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. To check your availability or apply, click here. Mr. … Read More

Good afternoon Shepherd families, It has been a real treat to see so many of you pick up student belongings. Everyone is bursting with ideas on how to make things better, especially our students. I have been collecting some terrific ideas that we will start sorting through next week. I also want to give you the opportunity to ask questions and make suggestions. To that end, Ms. Rottman and I will be hosting two Zoom sessions next week on Wednesday, August 19th at 3:00 pm and Thursday, August 20th at 3:00 pm. Please join us if you can. On Wednesday, August 19: Topic: Opening of school listening session Time: Aug 19, 2020 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 869 8836 4655 Passcode: d4tyXG On Thursday, August 20: Topic: Opening of school listening session Time: Aug 20, 2020 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 857 3783 4123 Passcode: VY3hXx Attached please find a presentation Ms. Rottman made to share the Shepherd Elementary Quarter 1 Virtual Learning Schedule. It reviews your feedback from spring listening sessions, DCPS requirements and schedules by grade. We will be reviewing this presentation during the listening sessions. Please reach out with … Read More

Dear Shepherd families, I hope this email finds you well, and it was wonderful to speak with a number of you this week as you picked up your student’s belongings. If you would like to pick up your student’s belongings, please sign up here. Thanks to Ms. Rottman, we have a draft schedule for virtual learning. Once Superintendent Jackson approves our schedule, I will share it with families. Please know that we carefully reviewed our notes from listening sessions and incorporated your feedback. Key concepts behind the schedule include: All students have the same break and lunch times Students receive instruction from 9-3 Wednesdays will look different with specials and time for family/student check-ins The student experience will be more consistent from grade to grade and day to day and week to week Also, find the grading policy for school year 2020-2021 attached. This document was just released yesterday. SY 20-21 PreK_12_Grading Guidance.pdf I also wanted to share the policy regarding learning/pandemic pods because I have received a number of questions about scheduling students. The focus for DCPS educators is on ensuring outstanding instruction every day for every student and ensuring equity of access through materials and technology. DCPS recognizes the challenges of … Read More

Hi Shepherd families, I hope this finds you well. We are attending School Leadership Institute this week to prepare for the opening of school and are learning a lot more detailed information on the systems and structures that will be in place. Please look for more communication from me at the end of this week, and thank you for your patience. The majority of students took belongings home with them in March, but that is not the case for all of you. We will be having curbside pick up for students’ belongings from Friday, August 7 until Friday, August 14. There is a time slot for pick up in the morning and one for the afternoon. Please sign up here so we can have your student’s belongings ready for you. Thank you, Phyllis

Good afternoon Shepherd families, Today, in consideration of guidance from DC Health, Mayor Bowser announced that we will start School Year 2020-2021 virtually with all students learning at home. This will apply for all grades — Pre-K through 12 — and last at least through Term 1 from August 31 to November 6. Summer Bridge for students in grade 3 will also be virtual. You can watch this short video DCPS prepared for our students and families for additional information. You can access sample student schedules here. Now that we are no longer working with hypothetical scenarios, we can dig in and start planning for school year 2020-21, and I hope and believe it will end with us all back in the building together. I certainly would enjoy my “first” Field Day, gala and live promotion ceremony. Late spring field trips would be another bonus. We will get there! Next week, we will be attending School Leadership Institute and will learn a lot more about the resources DCPS staff has been creating for the last several months. The previews I have seen are exciting, and Shepherd staff has become seasoned virtual educators and communicators, which will make the opening of school less stressful than the … Read More

Hello Mustang families. On Thursday, we marched and drove as a community to speak out against racism and call for justice. For many of our students, it was an event they will never forget. I know I won’t. I have had many powerful and moving moments as an educator, but our walk was the most moving. We are a formidable community, and we demonstrated that in word and deed. Providing a safe space for our young students to demonstrate against racism was an important step of moving our International Baccalaureate Primary Years Progamme into action. Teachers are analyzing curricular units to devise more ways to extend learning into action, and students’ voice and choice will guide that work. Thank you to our families who made who participated, and check out our social media pages for photographs of the event. When I came on as Interim Principal last July, in my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined how school year 2019-2020 would unfold. We have been through a lot together, but through it all, we have communicated, providing feedback and changing course as necessary. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Shepherd community. Our families and staff are thoughtful, creative, action-oriented … Read More