It’s almost the last week of SUMMER! Here’s all the info to help you gear up for the start of the new school year. In this newsletter, you’ll find: School re-opening info from DCPS  Tips and articles from Dr. Brown (our amazing school psychologist) on transitioning back to school  Reminders about Sunday’s Playdate and Garden Clean Up  Dates and times for the school open houses on Fri, Aug 27 Volunteer opps – PTO Audit Committee, Parent Equity Panel, Welcome Ambassadors for New Families and Club leaders Immunization clinics at schools around us AND MUCH MORE! Don’t miss out on the latest news from Shepherd PTO! Our AtoZ Connect database has been updated to the newest version powered by Membership Toolkit. In order to keep you on the PTO email roster, we need all parents to re-register in AtoZ as soon as possible to confirm contact info. Please create your family’s new account here, ideally using the same email you used for your initial AtoZ registration. You will then receive a verification email that you must acknowledge within 2 hours in order to authorize your account. See you all real soon! Shepherd PTO Board School Supplies and Class Lists Just a reminder … Read More

Happy Almost-Back-to-School time! Welcome new and returning families – we can’t wait to see you and your children in real life again soon. This email is packed full of key info – school calendar of events, Back to School events, School Beautification Day info, Shepherd gear updates, uniform swap, and PTO volunteer opportunities! Don’t miss out on the latest news from Shepherd PTO! Our AtoZ Connect database has been updated to the newest version powered by Membership Toolkit. In order to keep you on the PTO email roster, we need all parents to re-register in AtoZ as soon as possible to confirm contact info. Please create your family’s new account here, ideally, using the same email you used for your initial AtoZ registration. You will then receive a verification email that you must acknowledge within 2 hours in order to authorize your account. See you all real soon! Shepherd PTO Board School Community Beautification Project – Jonquil Hill “Clearing” and Garden Clean-upMembers of the Shepherd community will come together on Sunday, August 22 from 10am-2 pm to clear the hill on the Jonquil St. side of the building and to perform other garden clean-up projects. As they say, “many hands … Read More

HAPPY SUMMER! This will be the last PTO Bulletin email of the school year. Whew – we made it! We’d like to thank the outgoing PTO Board, LSAT reps and the MANY, MANY parent and teacher volunteers we’ve had over the last two years who’ve helped us do Fall Fest, Auction/Gala, Movie Nights, Field Day, Book Fair, Restaurant Nights, Holiday Parties, Teacher Appreciation, School Beautification Day, Meet the Teacher Night, grant writing, PTO meetings, website revamping, Shepherd gear designs and many, many other events and initiatives we’ve done together. You all helped us keep things moving and growing for our kids and school community. We’re DEFINITELY looking forward to getting back together in REAL LIFE and engaging with our AMAZING community once again! Again, congrats to the new PTO Board and LSAT reps! We’ll be doing floor nominations for the two open PTO positions (Co-President and Assistant Treasurer) at our first meeting of the school year in Sept. And we’re looking for Committee Chairs too. More details to come there soon. REMINDER – “MOVING UP” CEREMONIES TOMORROW Come join us for popsicles and praise! The last few ceremonies will be tomorrow (Thurs, June 24) at the times noted below. Enter the playground through … Read More

Farewell Drive-by for Ms. Johnson on FRIDAY, JUNE 18th (4-5 PM) In just two days, we’ll be waving goodbye to one of Shepherd’s long-time favorite teachers, Ms. Beverly Johnson, who is retiring after this school year concludes. Please join us for a “drive-by” celebration on Friday, June 18th, from 4 to 5 PM to thank her for all she has done for our children and wish her the best. If you and your child would like to bring her a small gift or card as a token of your appreciation, we are certain she would be very touched…staff and parents who are helping with the event will help to gather these from passing well wishers. We expect to see lots of creative signs, balloons, and don’t forget to honk those horns! To keep the drive-by procession flowing, we ask that everyone please enter 14th St from the north (Kalmia) side and head south in front of the school. Even if you can’t join the live celebration, please consider sharing photos/videos, memories, and well wishes on Ms. Johnson’s Kudoboard, a keepsake memory board that we’ll present to Ms. Johnson at the end of the school year. We look forward to seeing lots … Read More

Shepherd Park Community Center Final DPR Meeting – Thursday, June 17 from 6:30pm-8pm DPR will hold its final virtual community meeting regarding the Shepherd Park Community Center. They will review the program survey results, provide an update on the athletic field renovations, and discuss the new facility operations. Please join the meeting at this link with access code ‘172 815 1034’ and password ‘shepherd’. SHEPHERD PTO BOARD AND LSAT ELECTION RESULTS On behalf of the PTO Nomination Committee, we would like to congratulate the parents elected to the PTO Board and LSAT for the 2021-2022 school year! Co-President: Taryn Losch-Beridon Co-President: OPEN Vice President: Sara Faulman Treasurer: Andrea Smith Assistant Treasurer: OPEN Recording Secretary: Ayana McIntosh Corresponding Secretary: Liz Bradley LSAT PARENT REPS: Dominic Ju, Julia Marnon and Rich Pohlman “Moving Up” Ceremonies – DATES AND TIMES Dr. Hedlund and the staff are also planning “moving up” ceremonies in person for each grade level so students have the opportunity to see one another before we close out the school year. Below are the dates and times for each grade level celebration.  PK3 – Fri, June 18 from 10-11 am PK4 – Fri, June 18 from 9-10 am Kinder – Fri, June 18  from 2-3 pm … Read More

5th Grade Promotion – Mon, June 21 at 10 am On Monday June 21, 2021 at 10:00 am, we will celebrate 5th grade promotion in person for all students and their families who would like to attend. The DPR field should be resurfaced by that date, but alternatively, we will use our playground space. We’re excited to get to celebrate these fabulous students and their major accomplishment! More details to come soon. “Moving Up” Ceremonies for ALL GRADES Dr. Hedlund and the staff are also planning “moving up” ceremonies in person for each grade level so students have the opportunity to see one another before we close out the school year. They are researching and planning for safe celebrations for our students, so please stay tuned for details coming soon! Vote NOW for PTO and LSAT reps for SY 2021-2022 – deadline Tues, June 1 Check your email and remember to vote by Tues, June 1 at 8 pm EST. All people on the PTO AtoZ Connect email list should’ve received an email from the Nomination Committee. If you are receiving this email, you’re on the list! If you have any questions, email elections@shepherd-elementary.org. Thanks again to Ana Ma, Kristin Harrison and Autumn Jackson … Read More

LAST PTO MEETING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR – TONIGHT (Wed, May 19) at 6:30 PM Join us here on TEAMS! Agenda will include a deep dive by Dr. Hedlund into the Panorama survey data, election info by the Nominating Committee, and plans for the rest of the school year.  Call for PTO Board and LSAT Representatives for Next School Year It’s that time again…we are officially kicking off elections for SY2021-22! Many thanks to our volunteers on the Nominating Committee: Ana Ma, Autumn Jackson, and Kristin Harrison! As was done for the last round of elections, this year’s elections will be held virtually via ElectionBuddy.com. If you’d like to put forward a nomination for one of the open positions/roles, please send these directly to the Election Committee by emailing elections@shepherd-elementary.org. The window for nominations will close at midnight on Friday, May 21st. The PTO board member positions (1-year term) are as follows: Two (2) Co-President positions, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer. For more details on the specific responsibilities for each role, please see pages 3-4 of the PTO bylaws here. There will also be 4 slots for parent reps on Shepherd’s Local School Advisory Team (LSAT). Voting will take place online between May … Read More

Shepherd PTO Spring Fling “Shaken & Stirred” Cocktail Making Class – TOMORROW (Thurs, May 13) at 8 pm LAST CALL FOR TICKETS TODAY! We will be mixing up two different cocktails — a Strawberry Smash and a Bees Knees — both of which are a perfect way to ease us into the warm weather. Each ticket purchase will gain the adults in your household access to the cocktail class which will be hosted virtually.  No more kits are available, but after registering you will receive a “shopping list” to make sure you can gather everything you need. Get your tickets here. TONIGHT (May 12) DCPS Town Hall at 5 pm Hear from the Chancellor and learn about the reopening plans for next school year. Register here.  Call for PTO Board and LSAT Representatives for Next School Year It’s that time again…we are officially kicking off elections for SY2021-22! Many thanks to our volunteers on the Nominating Committee: Ana Ma, Autumn Jackson, and Kristin Harrison! As was done for the last round of elections, this year’s elections will be held virtually via ElectionBuddy.com. If you’d like to put forward a nomination for one of the open positions/roles, please send these directly to the … Read More

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK! Reminder that this week we’re celebrating our amazing teachers and staff who’ve overcome many hurdles and challenges to support our students this year. Show them some love and support! The PTO will be providing snacks and treats to the teachers at school and those still virtual, but we encourage you to make a card, send a note, sing a song, make a sign or share your appreciation any way you can! Shepherd PTO Spring Fling “Shaken & Stirred” Cocktail Making Class – Thurs, May 13 at 8 pm We will be mixing up two different cocktails — a Strawberry Smash and a Bees Knees — both of which are a perfect way to ease us into the warm weather. Each ticket purchase will gain the adults in your household access to the cocktail class which will be hosted virtually. In addition, we will offer cocktail kits that will give you everything you need to mix up two of each of these delicious cocktails. Please place orders for kits by 8 am on May 10th. Should you choose to raid your home bar and provide your own ingredients, you will receive a “shopping list” prior to the event to make … Read More