Good afternoon Shepherd families,Today Ms. Rottman and I participated in a conference call with other elementary school administrators and central office staff. As a reminder, spring break will now be March 17-March 23. Distance learning will take place March 24-March 31, and we are scheduled to return to school on Wednesday, April 1. Central office content experts have prepared materials for each grade level, and they will be available on line on Monday. These work packets can be found here. Several grades were able to copy those packets and send them home in your child’s backpack today: Pre-K, K and 1st grades. Fifth grade teachers and Mr. Mack (3rd grade) also sent home packets with students. Given the late notice, not all teachers had the time to prepare and distribute materials. The District is printing these packets, and they will be distributed on Thursday 3/19, Friday 3/20 and Monday 3/23 at the school. If your child is in Pre-K, K, 1st or 5th grades, you already have materials. By close of business on Monday, March 16, I will follow up with additional information about packet distribution (if you need one — you may also print it out at home) and … Read More
Message from Principal Hedlund
Good afternoon families,By now, most of you have read the Chancellor’s letter changing next week’s professional development day from Friday, March 20th to Monday, March 16th.Star Achievers will provide child care to our families on Monday, March 16 – please register by Fri, March 13 at this link. We have a few other cancellations/postponements at this time:Tomorrow’s All School Meeting led by Pre-K 4 has been postponed until further notice.The PTA Meeting on Wednesday, March 18th has been cancelled.Health and Wellness Fair scheduled for Friday, March 27th has been postponed until further notice.Aladdin, the musical, scheduled for April 4th and 5th has been postponed until further notice. I will provide any updates as soon as I have them. Our custodians are on a schedule to sanitize common areas, door handles and stair railings throughout the day. Teachers continue to emphasize proper hand washing technique. Attached please find our monthly construction news from Department of Parks and Recreation. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, updates or concerns, and stay well.Shepherd Construction Update_March 2020.pdf Sincerely, Phyllis Phyllis Hedlund, Ed.D.Interim Principal Future Chefs FinalistCongratulations to Sala Queen who is a finalist for the District of Columbia! Wish her luck as … Read More
PTO Bulletin
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
Message from Principal Hedlund
Dear Families,I hope you had the opportunity to read the DCPS communication on coronavirus earlier this week. Since then, DC government has released a coronavirus website, which will keep District residents up to date. At Shepherd, I have instructed our custodians to disinfect doors and doorknobs repeatedly during the day. We have plenty of soap to dispense in the bathrooms. If you hear otherwise, please let me know immediately. I check bathrooms daily, but I need families to keep me informed, especially during this time. Please remember these actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory disease:Stay home when you are sickAvoid close contact with people who are sickWash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (An alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used if soap and water are not available)Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed handsCover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a trashClean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfacesGet the flu vaccine Please feel free to ask any questions or express your concerns during this uncertain time. The health and safety of your children is the utmost concern of every Shepherd staff member. Enjoy you weekend,Phyllis Phyllis … Read More
PTO Bulletin
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
Message from Principal Hedlund
Dear Families,February was a month filled with celebrations here at Shepherd Elementary, and our celebrations conclude with Jazz Fest this evening. Thank you to all who attended last night’s 3rd grade production of Now Let Me Fly. It was an outstanding performance, and by popular demand, we will have an encore performance very soon! Please stay tuned for the date and time. A huge shout to all students who participated and to Ms. Moorer and Ms. Denmark who initiated, directed and produced the play. It was unforgettable. On Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, students participated in the Black History Bowl, and they knew the information so well that it took two tie-breaking rounds to declare a winner. Please join me in congratulating Levi Sedalia 1st place, Ainsley Sedalia 2nd place and Sydney-Grace Ntim 3rd place for their extensive knowledge. Another huge shout out to Ms. Romero for organizing and leading the Black History Bowl. Thank you! Students are already clamoring for another one! Today, thanks to our PTA, our students watched Step Afrika! Perform, and they were sensational. Students and adults learned the history of stepping and got on their feet to participate. Many thanks to Dr. Leonard who led … Read More
PTO Bulletin
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, [email protected]) 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
PTO Bulletin
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
PTO Bulletin
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
Message from Principal Hedlund
Dear Families, All Shepherd students are invited to dress up for the Great Kindness Challenge beginning on Monday, February 10th. Classrooms may choose to participate in the KINDNESS themed door decorating contest. Judging will take place on Friday, Feb 14th. Students in the Kindness Club developed this initiative, so please show them your support! Dress up days:Monday (Feb 10)/Kindness never gets old – Dress up like a senior citizenTuesday (Feb 11)/Be Hip for Kindness – dress like a hippie or hip hopWednesday (Feb 12)/Be WACKY for Kindness – dress with wacky hair & socksThursday (Feb 13)/Kindness ROCKS – dress like a musicianFriday (Feb 14)/Dream of a world that is KIND – pajama day Students in grades K – 5 are invited to join our Kindness Read-a-thon beginning on February 10th – March 13th. Donations can be made to Heifer International directly here or given in an envelope to Mrs. Hagan. Checks should be made out to Heifer international.Students who would like to participate will be bringing home more information. Students can collect donations or donations can be made online. Be prepared for Black History Week at Shepherd, which starts on Monday, February 24, immediately following February Recess. Take a look … Read More