Hi Shepherd family and friends, We hope you are all remaining safe and healthy during these challenging times. We have been inspired by our community – the many of you bravely fighting this pandemic as first responders, healthcare workers, and other essential employees. Others are doing their part by staying home or organizing efforts to help where you can. Many of you have asked about needs within our community and we do have a few needs to address within our parent community. If you’re willing and able to help, email Liz Bradley at shepherdptapresident@gmail.com. Stay safe and be well! Liz Bradley PTA President A Message from Dr. Hedlund Just a quick heads up that learning packets will be available for pick up next Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30 am-2:00 pm. Also keep an eye out for a grade-level Zoom invitation to provide feedback on distance learning to me and Ms. Rottman. Hope everyone is well. I will provide more updates tomorrow. Update on the Shepherd Gala and Auction  As you might expect, we had to cancel this year’s in-person event. Shepherd Elementary School PTA’s biggest fundraiser of the year – the 16th Annual Spring Gala and Auction – will NOW be a virtual event and has … Read More

KEEP INFORMED – DCPS CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE The situation is certainly fluid and changing every day. Keep updated on the latest from DCPS at https://dcps.dc.gov/coronavirus. We will also share the Chancellor’s updates via the PTA Wednesday email, Dr. Hedlund’s Friday email, and the Shepherd Facebook page as well.  NO SCHOOL DAY – Monday, March 16th There is a no school day on Monday, March 16th, but Shepherd’s Star Achievers will be open! Please see the following link to register your student: https://www.sesstarachievers.com/. SHEPHERD ELEMENTARY READ-A-THON Shepherd students have been encouraged to participate in the Read to Feed Read-A-Thon which is a reading incentive and fundraising program for children that supports Heifer International. Participants obtain sponsorships from parents, friends and relatives based on the number of books (or units of time) they read. For more information, see: https://fundraise.heifer.org/fundraiser/2590607. DCPS SCHOOL CALENDARS RELEASED DCPS has released the school calendars for the next THREE school years! Check them out here! https://dcps.dc.gov/node/1462066 TOILETRY DRIVE FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH Mrs. McIntyre is leading a toiletry drive in honor of Women’s History Month from March 1-31. Items will benefit DASH — District Alliance for Safe Housing. Drop off boxes near Mrs. McIntyre’s classroom or in the Atrium. PTA HEALTH AND WELLNESS FAIR – Friday, March 27th … Read More

A HUGE THANKS to Caroline Smith and Siri Warkentien for managing our 31st Annual JAZZ NIGHT last week! It was a GREAT success – we had more than 150 people attend and had some awesome Jazz musicians play for us, including a Shepherd alum! Thanks to all who attended!!  READ ACROSS AMERICA SPIRIT WEEK Join us as we celebrate the Read Across America Spirit Week! Read Across America is an initiative on reading created by the National Education Association. One part of the project is National Read Across America Day, an observance in the United States held on the school day closest to March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss. To celebrate, encourage your children to dress up according to the themes below. Thursday, March 5th – The Cat in the Hat: Wear your favorite hat or Dr. Seuss character costume. Friday, March 6th – How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Wear green. SHEPHERD ELEMENTARY READ-A-THON Shepherd students have been encouraged to participate in the Read to Feed Read-A-Thon which is a reading incentive and fundraising program for children that supports Heifer International. Participants obtain sponsorships from parents, friends and relatives based on the number of books (or units of time) they read. For more information, see: https://fundraise.heifer.org/fundraiser/2590607. DCPS SCHOOL … Read More

THIS FRIDAY – SHEPHERD JAZZ NIGHT! Come out on Friday for a night of fellowship and food! For those who haven’t been before, the event includes a potluck dinner, live and up-close jazz music by outstanding artists (including both talented students and veteran professionals), creative activities, and fine company! Jazz Night founder, Dr. Michael Wallace, introduced this special event 31 years ago—when his own children were Shepherd students – and he still helps us plan and execute this long-standing event every year. Jazz Night was created with Shepherd students in mind; to introduce them to jazz music in a kid-friendly environment. Bring your children to enjoy the music and see the musicians—and their instruments—close up. The event starts at 6:30 pm. We’d love to have families sign up to bring food – homemade or store bought – to share at our potluck. You can find the link here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E4EAAAC28A5FD0-31st. Additionally, we need parents to help with set up and clean up. If you are interested, email Caroline Smith (Henry’s mom, third grade, mrthbtn@gmail.com) directly or show up around 6 pm. BLACK HISTORY MONTH @ Shepherd We continue to celebrate Black History Month this week with a different event or activity. The schedule for the rest of the week … Read More

PTA Meeting – Tonight, Wednesday, February 12th at 6:30 pm  Agenda:  Welcome and updates – Dr. Hedlund Jan minutes and budget review – Andrea and Caroline LSAT meeting updates – Liz  DCPS Panorama Survey – feedback due by Feb 14th PTA Parent Survey – coming in Mid-March to inform next year’s efforts PTA bylaws review – in progress DCPS Oversight Hearing – Wed, Feb 19th – sharing testimony later this week; Budget Hearings in March TBD Shepherd Gala updates and next steps Need parent/teacher volunteers to help with: Jazz Night (Fri, Feb 28), Health/Wellness Fair (Fri, March 27) and Gala/Auction (Sat, April 25) Have you missed a recent PTA meeting? See the minutes from the previous meetings here – https://www.shepherd-elementary.org/parents/parent-teacher-organization-pto/ GIRL SCOUT COOKIES ON SALE TODAY! On Wednesday, February 12th, from 3:30-8:00pm, the Brownies and Junior Girl Scout troops from Shepherd will host a Girl Scout cookie sale in the lobby after school and during the PTA meeting. This is just in time for Valentine’s Day! Please support the Girl Scout troops based here at Shepherd.  DCPS PANORAMA FAMILY SURVEY 55% of Shepherd families have completed the Panorama Family Survey. If you haven’t yet filled one out, please do so. You have … Read More

Hi Mustang Parents – As a follow up to yesterday’s message about next Friday’s Awards Ceremony…below are the ceremony times per grade level. Teachers will be sending home notes in folders if your child is receiving an award. STUDENT AWARDS CEREMONY – Fri, Feb 15 (Multipurpose Room) PK3 and PK4 – 9:00 am K-2 – 9:45 am 3-5 – 10:45 am The Valentine’s Dance is also next Friday (Feb 15) at 3:30 pm and we’d love your help. If you can volunteer to chaperone and help serve food and drinks, please let me know! Happy Friday! Liz

DCPS is Seeking Your Feedback on Interim Principal Hedlund As you likely recall, Principal Hedlund was appointed to serve as the interim principal for Shepherd for this school year. Before determining whether to appoint her as Principal at Shepherd on a permanent basis, DCPS wants to ensure the community has an opportunity to share feedback and reflections on your experience working with her during this school year. Please send any feedback regarding your experience working with Principal Hedlund by Friday, February 7th. Letters should be sent via email to lead.dc@k12.dc.gov, with the subject “Community Input on Principal Hedlund.” All principal appointments are decided at the discretion of the Chancellor; however, anything you submit will be included along with other information from this year for the Chancellor and other senior leaders when considering next steps for the 2020-21 school year. DEAL RISE 2020 – For Fifth Graders only Quick Snapshot: During the orientation week, students will learn about our IB Program, Deal Culture, organization, technology, using a combination lock to open their lockers, navigating Deal, using the Deal library, understanding their progress report/report cards, communicating with their teachers, reading their schedules, after school club and activity offerings, how to monitor their grades in Aspen, and much … Read More

DCPS is Seeking Your Feedback on Interim Principal Hedlund As you likely recall, Principal Hedlund was appointed to serve as the interim principal for Shepherd for this school year. Before determining whether to appoint her as Principal at Shepherd on a permanent basis, DCPS wants to ensure the community has an opportunity to share feedback and reflections on your experience working with her during this school year. Please send any feedback regarding your experience working with Principal Hedlund by Friday, February 7th. Letters should be sent via email to lead.dc@k12.dc.gov, with the subject “Community Input on Principal Hedlund.” All principal appointments are decided at the discretion of the Chancellor; however, anything you submit will be included along with other information from this year for the Chancellor and other senior leaders when considering next steps for the 2020-21 school year. Looking for Volunteers – Shepherd Jazz Night and Shepherd Gala and Auction SAVE THE DATE…our 31st annual Shepherd Jazz Night will be Fri, Feb 28th in the Shepherd Multipurpose Room and we’re looking for parent and teacher volunteers to help organize the potluck dinner, help with set up and clean up, decorate the room, and help with promotion!  For those who haven’t been before, the event includes … Read More

All School Morning Meeting is this Friday (Jan 24th) at 8:45 am in the Multipurpose Room and will be hosted by First Grade. Come join us if you haven’t been to one of the All School Morning Meetings yet! Monthly Breakfast for Faculty and Staff – Hosted by the Fifth Grade Families this Month – Fri, Jan 24th The Parent Engagement Committee has started a monthly breakfast to show gratitude for all the Shepherd ES teachers and staff who support our children every day. Below you will find a sign-up link for the remainder of the year. This month FIFTH GRADE is hosting. There should be NO NUTS or NUT PRODUCTS brought into the school. Items should be dropped off on the assigned date noted in the sign-up form between 7:30 am and 8:00 am to the teachers’ resource room. If you have any questions, please reach out to Lyly Yonkwa Rijmen at lylyyonkwa@gmail.com. Sign up here: Shepherd Teacher/Staff Appreciation Breakfast. STAR ACHIEVERS’ “NO SCHOOL DAY” – OPEN on Mon, Jan 27th and Tues, Jan 28th Star Achievers has partnered with Trak Sports to engage kids in a variety of exciting sports games and fun activities for ALL AGES (PK3-5th grade), including basketball, kickball, soccer, arts and crafts, and much … Read More

Shepherd Elementary Summer Camp Expo – TODAY!Join us for the 3rd annual Shepherd Elementary Summer Camp Expo!Meet representatives from a variety of local camps, ask questions, participate in fun activities, and learn about the array of options for the summer!The 2020 expo will be held from 5-7 pm in the Atrium. The January PTA meeting will begin at 6:30 pm, so Shepherd families should feel free to attend the expo and then stay for the meeting (free childcare and pizza for Shepherd students whose parents are attending the PTA meeting will be provided). The Summer Camp Expo is open to everyone (you don’t have to be enrolled at Shepherd ES attend), so bring your friends and neighbors! See the full list of camps that will be present: https://www.shepherd-elementary.org/summer-camp-expo/.TONIGHT’S PTA MEETING – Wed, Jan 15th at 6:30 pmPrincipal Neal from Deal Middle School will join us at our meeting to talk about Deal, the transition to middle school, and answer any questions parents would like to ask! As one of the feeder schools to Deal, we love having Principal Neal come to Shepherd every year to do a “meet and greet” to share all of what Deal has to offer and … Read More