Category Archive

Dear Families, Term 3 starts on February 1, and next week, staff will close out Term 2 and prepare for all the changes headed our way. On Thursday, Jan 28th, your child will not have synchronous (live) instruction if his/her homeroom teacher is returning to the school building to teach in person Term 3: Ms. Conte, Mr. Spriggs, Mr. Morris, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Rajwani, Ms. Saxton, Ms. Murali, Dr. Wilson and Mr. Clayborn. Please check their Canvas pages for asynchronous learning options that day. They will be here at Shepherd preparing their classrooms. On Friday, January 29th, there will be no school for students, and teachers will participate in professional development and complete Term 2 grades. At this time, in person learning and CARE seats for Term 3 are full. We will not be offering any more seats until further notice. PK 3 CARE will not open on 2/1, but we hope to have it up and running by mid-February. Staffing Updates Mr. Garner is making slow but steady progress in his recovery. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He is in good spirits. Ms. Hipps will have her last day at Shepherd on Friday, January 29th. We … Read More

Good afternoon Shepherd families,  Honestly, it feels more like a month than a week since we returned to school. It has been an emotionally devastating week to watch the desecration of our democracy as citizens of the United States and the District of Columbia and the systemic racism that enabled it. As I listened to the discussion our Wellness team facilitated with the students, I was overwhelmed with our children’s capacity to make meaning out of chaos, their ability to express their emotions and their genuine uncertainty about what the future holds, yet they are hopeful, brave and wise beyond their years. This generation will a generation of old souls.  Staffing Update  You may have noticed that there were no art classes this week, and I waited to share this news until I had the permission of his family. Our deeply beloved Mr. Garner suffered a major stroke a little over a week ago. He was in critical condition and underwent surgery, but his health is improving daily. At this time, he is in good spirits and resting comfortably, and his blood pressure is under control. Mr. Garner’s family asks that we pray for him. Ms. Pereira is putting together a video … Read More

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