Category Archive

Good morning Shepherd Families, I hope you have a peaceful weekend. Tomorrow is EdFest, which will be held virtually again this year. Please remember that families are our best recruitment tool. Please feel free to refer interested families to me at any time. Please see the important announcements that follow, and take care. Principal Hedlund Picture Retake Day is Monday, December 13th Please respond to this email if your child needs a retake, and you have not communicated with me yet. Boys & Girls Basketball Coaches Needed Please contact Mr. Muskett (joe.muskett@k12.dc.gov) if you are available to coach one of our Shepherd teams. It is an exciting year for us as we will finally be able to host home games! Each team practices two afternoons a week from 3:30-4:30. The game schedule has yet to be announced. Thanks for your consideration. Virtual Food Drive TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO GIVE As an IB school, Shepherd is committed to caring by supporting our local community and The Capital Area Food Bank.  Will you join us in donating to our Virtual Food Drive starting on Friday, November 19 – Friday, December 10th?  We want to support the United Nation’s Sustainable Development … Read More

Dear Shepherd Families, What an exciting week we have had for staffing! Ms. Raji, mom to Lena, Adham and Adam, is serving as an instructional aide in PK 4 Holt, and she is fully onboarded and in the building! Ms. Oursler, third grade homeroom teacher, received her offer letter yesterday, and after observing and planning this week, she is teaching her students today! Please welcome these new members of our community and let them know how much we appreciate them. Many, many thanks to all of those who covered the gap between Ms. McCarthy and Ms. Oursler: Ms. Hagan, Ms. Romero and Ms. Weng. Those children will miss them, their outstanding teaching, abundant positivity and admirable flexibility. Our English Learners will be thrilled to have Ms. Hagan to themselves again, and our students in need will thrive with Ms. Romero and Ms. Weng. Thank you and WELCOME! Ms. Pereira, our Music teacher, is using our virtual All School Meeting for our Winter Concert this year. Please see the schedule below if you would like to dress your child in festive attire for next week’s taping. I wish it could be in person since it was so joyful two years ago. … Read More

Dear Families, We all have much to be thankful for this year. Children are back in school and are in the process of being vaccinated. We are returning to some sense of normalcy in time for the holidays. We have all been through so much, and this season can be very challenging for those of us who have experienced loss. So many Shepherd community members have lost loved ones this year, and I am thinking especially of you this holiday season. When I count my blessings, I am especially grateful for our outstanding staff. It is a relief to have children back in the building where they belong, and they are glad to be here. But, each and every day, I need to ask staff members to go above and beyond, more than they usually do, to ensure the building operates smoothly. Teaching is creative, intellectual, challenging, rewarding work. At Shepherd, we are fortunate to have a highly experienced outstanding staff who serve students beyond the parameters of their classrooms daily. They offer after-school clubs, participate in a variety of committees, attend PTO meetings, problem solve logistical concerns and tutor students before- and after-school. This year, they are also covering … Read More

Dear Shepherd Families, I am looking forward to our Fall Fun Race Fundraiser tomorrow at 11:00 am. I know families welcome the opportunity to gather together in person, and it is sure to be a great time. Thanks to the PTO for organizing this event. On Tuesday from 8:45-9:30 am, we will hold a Coffee & Conversation for Kindergarten families. Please enter the cafeteria through the Jonquil Street entrance. Once again, this is an opportunity to meet other families in your child’s grade. Also next week, we will hold our first Open House for prospective families at 9 am on Wednesdays. Please spread the word if you know any families who might be interested in attending Shepherd Elementary. They can attend virtually here. Enjoy your weekend, and I hope to see many of you at the Fall Fun Race! Principal Hedlund Upcoming Events November 13 at 11:00 am Shepherd Fall Fun Race November 16 at 8:45 am Coffee & Conversation for Kindergarten families November 17 at 6:30 om November PTO Meeting November 24-26 Thanksgiving Break

Dear Shepherd Families: I am excted to share the following information on DCPS Covid-19 vaccine clinics. I know some of our students were vaccinated as early as yesterday! Please note that we needed to move Picture Day, which was scheduled for Tuesday, November 9th, to Monday, November 15th, because of asymptomatic Covid-19 testing on Tuesday. The COVID-19 vaccine is the best way for us to help stop the spread of the virus and keep our community safe. On November 2, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that children ages 5 and older are now eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. To help DCPS families get vaccinated, free school clinics will open beginning November 8. Any DC youth ages 5-11 can visit an elementary school site to receive their first dose, while students ages 12 and older should visit a secondary school location. There is no appointment needed, and the parent / guardian accompanying the student should bring a valid photo ID for themselves. Student IDs are not required, and second doses will be available at schools in December. Parents who are unable to bring their child will have the option to print and sign a form allowing a trusted family member … Read More

Dear Shepherd Families, The images above are from Ms. Conte’s African Dance Club for students in PK 3-K. As I walked with our youngest learners yesterday for the Halloween Parade, I realized how much we benefit from our beautiful, adorable, absolutely wonderful children. Their cuteness yesterday was beyond words, and I had the privilege of assisting Ms. Conte on Wednesday and wanted to share their work. Thank you to her and our other teachers who are enriching students’ lives with these after school experiences. Pleases share any great moments you captured yesterday. Third grade (and their support team) put on a fantastic all school meeting on indigenous people and family history today. Thanks to Ms. Murali and Ms. Pereira who remained steadfast in the face of technological adversity. The photographs you shared of your families were just beautiful and reminded me how fortunate I am to be a part of this community. Quick reminder that there is no school on Tuesday 11/2 for Election Day and on Friday 11/5 for Professional Development/Records. Please see the announcements that follow, and have a wonderful weekend. Principal Hedlund Special Recognition for Dr. Wilson Our very own Dr. Wilson has been selected as a 2022 District … Read More

Dear Shepherd Families, I know your students are excited for our Halloween parade next Friday, October 29th at 2:30 pm. We will parade around the perimeter of the school, and PK 3 will lead the way. You will have the opportunity to pick your child up immediately afterwards if you choose to do so. Children may wear their costumes to school on 10/29. Please just remember not to send you child wearing anything that would frighten our youngest learners. Fridays are officially dress down days at Shepherd. Some students have already presumed this to be the case:). Students are also free to wear their uniforms on Friday. The same goes with Picture Day on Tuesday, November 9th. It is your family’s choice whether or not your student is in uniform that day. It is hard to believe we are approaching the close of the first term. Please see the important dates that follow. Principal Hedlund 11/2 Election Day — No school 11/5 End of Term 1, Records Day — No school for students 11/9 Picture Day 11/11 Veterans Day — No school 11/16 Coffee and Conversation Kindergarten 11/17 LSAT meeting 4:30 pm 11/17 PTO Meeting 6:30 pm 11/24-29 Thanksgiving Break

Dear Shepherd Families, We have a lot of good news on the staffing front. Ms. Mami Buxton joined our staff as a first-grade teacher, and students will transition from Denmark-Lawal and Saxton’s sections on Monday. Welcome Ms. Buxton! She taught at Leckie for 8 years and is thrilled to be back in DCPS. Next week brings the return of Ms. Romero. She will serve as our TLI Mathematics and will provide coaching to teachers and internvention to students. This week also saw the return of Mr. Talbert-Jackson who has and will be substituting in the building and will be an educational aide once he is onboarded. Ms. Fatima Raji, will also be an aide after she completes the onboarding process. In addition, the Chancellor has notified us that a full-time substitute will be assigned to each school. We are excited to have more hands to help serve the children. Next week, we have our PTO meeting from 6:30-7:30 pm on Wednesday. There will be a Coffee & Conversation for PK 3 families at 8:30 am on Tuesday in the cafeteria. Enter at the Jonquil entrance, adjacent to the community center. Please see the important announcements below as well as Panorama … Read More

Good morning Shepherd families, Great news on the horizon as approval for a Covid-19 vaccine is in reach for our elementary-aged children. It will be a game changer for our work at Shepherd. Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day when we celebrate the invaluable contributions and resilience of Indigenous peoples. I know families are making time to explain the significance of this holiday and the cultures it celebrates. We look forward to welcoming your students back to school tomorrow, and I hope you enjoy the day. Below please find important announcements about additional clubs and our all-school celebration of Family History Month. Principal Hedlund Family History Fashion Show A message from Ms. Mack: Shepherd has put together a family engagement team to work more closely together with the PTO. The members of the team include Mrs. Hagan, Mrs. Holt, and Ms. Mack. So far this year, there has been a virtual ECE activity as well as a warm welcome to new families. We want to celebrate you this month since October is Family History Month. We would like to gather family photos that highlight your culture and uniqueness through special clothing and fashion if possible. If you would like to participate, … Read More

Happy October Shepherd families, Next week, you will have the opportunity to hear about your children’s performance from their teachers at conferences on Thursday. On Friday, teachers will participate in another full day of Responsive Classroom teaching. Monday is a holiday for students and staff. With the students out of the building on Thursday, I am taking the opportunity to meet with a consultant from Out Teach to brainstorm outdoor learning experiences for Shepherd; Ms. Akaba will participate as well. This work is being conducted through a grant from OSSE. Also on Thursday, I will have my first meeting of the Chancellor’s Principal Advisory Board, and I am excited to work with other principals at these meetings. If they have not already done so, teachers will be reaching out with additional information about signing up for conferences. Please let me know if you have any questions. Please continue to remind your children about masks and social distancing. Enjoy another beautiful weekend, Principal Hedlund Club Expectations Student Expectations:  1.    Be safe- Maintain safety protocols of the building- distance 3 feet, wear a mask, no snacks, and use hand sanitizer upon entering a space  2.    Be responsible- follow directions, fully participate in the given activities of the club  3.    Be … Read More