Category Archive

New Schedule for Spanish-language Students Beginning Monday, March 4th, all students with Spanish as their world language will be reassigned to an extra elective of Music, Art, PE or Library. March Madness Box Tops Who will win the title for collecting the most box tops? Students in Pre-K3 to grade 5 will compete throughout the month of March against one another to clip the most box tops and earn the most points. To see the bracket for the box top tournament, check out the bulletin board in the multipurpose room. For participating products, see: https://www.box tops4education.com/earn/participating-products. Annual Women’s History Toiletry Drive Mrs. McIntyre is sponsoring Shepherd’s annual Women’s History Month Toiletry Drive to collect items to donate to the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH), an organization providing access to safe housing & services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Body soap, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrushes, band-aids, deodorant, dental floss and feminine hygiene products can be dropped off in the bin in the atrium throughout the month. No School – Friday, March 8th There is no school for students on Friday, March 8th. Six Flags Tickets Sixty-three Shepherd students in grades K-5 will receive a certificate and tickets to Six … Read More

Read Across America Week – Spirit Week! February 25 – March 1 is Read Across America Week! Monday – Fox in Socks Students may wear silly socks. Tuesday – Cat in the Hat Students may wear their favorite hat. Wednesday – Who’ville Students may wear colorful hair accessories Thursday – Oh The Places You’ll Go Students will discuss their career goals. Friday – The Sleep Book Students may wear pajamas and receive a Dr. Seuss bookmark. Saturday – Official Read Across America Day Read a book with a loved one and share a picture of the experience on social media or bring a hard copy of the picture to school! Awards Assemblies Thank you for the feedback on our awards assemblies. The concerns and suggestions raised will inform ongoing discussions with the PTA and LSAT. Black History Month Assembly Shepherd Elementary School will celebrate Black History Month by remembering and honoring black music and the performing arts during our annual assemblies on February 28th. The first program for ECE through grade one will begin at 9:30am and the second program for grades 2-5 will begin at 1:45pm. We hope you will be able to join us. Principal Neal Principal Neal … Read More

Thank You First Grade Families! The entire staff enjoyed last Monday’s breakfast. We appreciated all of the healthy and fulfilling breakfast options, especially the coffee! Visit from Acting Chancellor Dr. Ferebee On Thursday, January 31st, Acting Chancellor Dr. Ferebee spent time at our school. During his visit, Dr. Ferebee observed instruction several classrooms and was encouraged by the level of student engagement. Shepherd Science Fair – THIS WEEK The science fair preview will take place Monday, February 4th from 4-6pm at the NOAA building in downtown Silver Spring. All visitors must present a valid ID. The science fair judging will take place Tuesday, February 5th. International Baccalaureate (IB) Nights – New Dates THIS WEEK Come and experience the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) at Shepherd! On Tuesday, February 5th (grades K–5) and Wednesday, February 6th (ECE), families are encouraged to join us for an evening of inquiry-based learning! Both events will begin at 6:00pm in the multi-purpose room. Girls Basketball Schedule Our lady Mustangs are scheduled to face Eaton ES at Amidon-Bowen at 5:00pm on Monday, February 4th. Boys Basketball Schedule The team will take on Lafayette ES at Lafayette Tuesday, February 5th at 4:00pm. Shepherd Tutoring Program The Shepherd … Read More

Inclement Weather DCPS will be closed tomorrow. The best source of information about school delays and closures is the DCPS twitter account (@dcpublicschools). Information will also be shared on the DCPS website (dcps.dc.gov), DCPS social media accounts, and local TV and radio stations. Impacted by the Government Shutdown? DCPS is actively looking to recruit substitute teachers to support schools. Candidates need a Bachelor’s degree and must pass a background check and drug test to be considered. Contact the school and next steps will be shared. Music Teacher Update Quanice Floyd, the candidate scheduled to begin at Shepherd after the winter break, unexpectedly decided to pursue another opportunity in another state. However, another candidate has been selected and the hiring request has been escalated to move through the hiring process as quickly as possibly. Spanish Teacher Update It has been incredibly difficult to find a quality candidate to fill the Spanish teacher vacancy. NAEP Our fourth graders will take the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on January 29th. The NAEP is given every 2 years. Parents will receive a detailed letter on Tuesday, January 15th. Spelling Bee Our annual Spelling Bee for students in grades 3-5 will take place on … Read More

DC Report Card Shepherd received a STAR rating of 4 out of 5 stars! In addition to the letter sent home on Friday, please use the link below for more detailed information about the STAR Framework. I am coming to the PTA meeting on Dec 19th to talk more about the new rating program and our score. https://dcschoolreportcard.org/schools/1-0313 Shepherd Tutoring Program The Shepherd Tutoring Program is in its 22nd year at Tifereth Israel Congregation. Between 5 and 6 pm most Sunday nights, members of Tifereth Israel and the Shepherd Park community are available to tutor students across subject areas at no cost to parents. Please reach out to Ms. Catler, shepherdtutoringprogram@gmail.com, for more information. Winter Reading Festivities – Dec 21 On Friday, December 21st, students will engage in various reading festivities led by our school librarian, Ms. Anderson and Ms. Pethtel. All students are welcome to wear their pajamas to school! Shepherd Science Fair – Jan 31 All third through fifth grade students should have a received an information packet, including a timeline, for their science fair projects. The science fair will take place on January 31st at the NOAA building in downtown Silver Spring. Pizza Hut Book It! Pizza … Read More

Thank You Second Grade Families! The entire staff enjoyed last Monday’s Monthly Teacher and Staff breakfast. We really appreciated all of the healthy and fulfilling breakfast options. Thanks to all the families who are helping to show teacher and staff appreciation all year long!  Yearbook Cover Contest Ms. Holt and the Yearbook Club are sponsoring Shepherd’s First Annual Yearbook Cover Contest. All designs must include the current school year, creative artwork and this year’s theme: Our school is out of this world! The deadline for all submissions is Friday, January 11th. Deal Buddy Day This past Thursday, Shepherd’s fifth graders visited Deal Middle School for our annual Deal Buddy Day. Students were able to experience middle school by participating in sixth grade classes. Check out our Facebook page to see pictures! In the Spring, several Deal students will come to Shepherd to share their middle school experiences and help our 5th grade students get ready! Shepherd Science Fair All third through fifth grade students should have a received an information packet, including a timeline, for their science fair projects. The science fair will take place on January 31st at the NOAA building in downtown Silver Spring.   Pizza Hut Book It! Pizza Coupon K-5 and Beanstack (October 2018 – … Read More

Shepherd Science Fair All third through fifth grade students should have a received an information packet, including a timeline, for their science fair projects. The science fair will take place on January 31st at the NOAA building in downtown Silver Spring. Make-Up Picture Day Make-up pictures will be taken on Tuesday, November 27th. Students should wear their uniform or Shepherd swag. Pizza Hut Book It! Pizza Coupon K-5 and Beanstack (October 2018 – March 2019) All K-5 Shepherd Students are also eligible to receive a free Pizza Hut Book It! coupon for a personal pan pizza during the months of October-March. Please support your student by assisting them with using Beanstack to log in a minimum of four grade-level appropriate books to receive their free Pizza Hut Book It! coupon. Students can access Beanstack using this link: https://shepherdes.beanstack.org/reader365. Their login in credentials are their Student ID# and birthday. Six Flags Reading Ticket Program All Kindergarten through fifth grade students are eligible to participate in the Six Flags Reading Ticket Program by logging at least 6 hours of reading time on their Six Flags Reading Log Sheet. All students should have received reading logs from their teacher, which requires a parent’s … Read More

Thanksgiving Break – November 21-23, 2018 May your Thanksgiving be overflowing with love, laughter and lots of great food! Make-Up Picture Day Make-up pictures will be taken on Tuesday, November 27th. Students should wear their uniform or Shepherd swag. Pizza Hut Book It! Pizza Coupon K-5 and Beanstack (October 2018 – March 2019) All K-5 Shepherd Students are also eligible to receive a free Pizza Hut Book It! coupon for a personal pan pizza during the months of October-March. Please support your student by assisting them with using Beanstack to log in a minimum of four grade-level appropriate books to receive their free Pizza Hut Book It! coupon. Students can access Beanstack using this link: https://shepherdes.beanstack.org/reader365. Their login in credentials are their Student ID# and birthday. Six Flags Reading Ticket Program All Kindergarten through fifth grade students are eligible to participate in the Six Flags Reading Ticket Program by logging at least 6 hours of reading time on their Six Flags Reading Log Sheet. All students should have received reading logs from their teacher, which requires a parent’s signature. All logs should be given to Ms. Anderson. The deadline to submit the reading logs is December 19, 2018. Staff Spotlight … Read More

Parent-Teacher Conferences – Tuesday, November 6th Please be sure to schedule a conference with your child’s teacher to discuss their report card. Parent-teacher conferences are an excellent opportunity to strengthen relationships and set goals for the second advisory. There is no school for students. Shepherd is a polling site. Members of the Shepherd community will be voting in the multi-purpose room throughout the day. Oct 31 – Book Character Dress Up Day We invite ALL students who would like to dress up for Halloween to dress up like their favorite book character. No masks or weapons, please. The last 30 mins of the day may be used by teachers and parents for parties in the classrooms. Shepherd Elective of the Week – Reader’s Theatre Mrs. Hagan leads our second graders in Reader’s Theatre, a reading strategy that combines reading practice and performance. The goal of Reader’s Theatre is to enhance students’ confidence by having them practice reading with a purpose. During the Reader’s Theatre elective, students develop their ability to read with expression. Currently, students are reading a spoof of the fairly tale, The Three Little Pigs. The Shepherd Choir The Shepherd Choir has been discontinued until a permanent music … Read More

Good evening, Mustang Parents! Looking forward to Spirit Week this week to bring attention to Bully Prevention Week. Walk to School Day Thank you Shepherd families for participating in Walk to School Day last week. We had a great time walking to school together! Bullying Prevention Spirit Week This week is Bullying Prevention Week! We look forward to everyone’s participation in the following activities: Monday – Bullying Gives Us The Blues Students and staff dress in blue, the official color of Bully Prevention, and sign the banner that will be displayed in the atrium. Tuesday – Be A Buddy Not A Bully Students and staff participate in Twin Day Wednesday – Be A Team Player And Stand Up To Bullies Students and staff dress up in their favorite team gear. Thursday – Put A Lid On Bullying Students and staff wear a hat. Friday – Put Bullying to Sleep Students and staff participate in Pajama Day. Book Fair Students will be able to shop daily from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm during their recess and lunch time. Families will also be able to shop from 3:30 pm – 6:30 pm on Wednesday, before the PTA meeting and from 12 pm … Read More