Category Archive

We hope everyone had a lovely Labor Day weekend and an AWESOME first week of school!  In this week’s PTO Bulletin… – Special PTO Board Election results -T-shirt sales and Uniform Swap this Friday morning! – Seeking Afterschool Club Leaders, Room Parents and PTO Committee Chairs – Supporting the annual Shepherd 180 Fund – Star Achievers Enrichment Programs Registration – AND MUCH MORE! Results from Special Election for Open PTO Board Positions We’re very excited to announce that we have a full PTO Executive Board for this school year!  Derek Musgrove was nominated and elected as Co-President and Alexis White as Assistant Treasurer.  THANKS to Derek and Alexis for stepping up to volunteer.  To see the rest of the board members for this year, check out our page on the new school website!  Our first full meeting will be virtual on Wed, Sept 29th at 6:30 pm. Shepherd T-shirt Sales and Uniform Swap this FRIDAY Morning! We’ll be out in front of the school selling Shepherd spirit gear and hosting the uniform swap this Friday morning – Sept 11!  We’ll have some new and older t-shirt designs for sale, and can take cash or cards. Save yourself from the white … Read More

Happy First Week of School! And a BIG welcome to the PK students starting TOMORROW!  Look for your special WELCOME sign right out by the PK class entrance.  In this week’s Bulletin… – Special PTO Board Election results – PTO selling new Shepherd t-shirts THIS Friday morning – Volunteer opps – Seeking Afterschool Club Leaders, Room Parents – Supporting the annual Shepherd 180 Fund – Star Achievers Enrichment Programs Registration – Shepherd Wins New Garden Grant from Whole Kids Foundation – Immunization clinics at schools around us – AND MUCH MORE! Seeking Leaders for Afterschool Clubs Are you a gardening enthusiast wanting to pass on your green thumb? Do you love teaching your children how to cook or bake? Have a special hobby that you love to share with others? Consider leading an afterschool club for students this school year! Interested Shepherd community members should contact Dr. Hedlund directly with your club ideas at Phyllis.Hedlund@k12.dc.gov. Please note that anyone wishing to volunteer at Shepherd must complete the DCPS Clearance process before a club can be initiated. Shepherd Awarded Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant Thanks to the amazing grant writing by Siri Warkentien, we were able to secure a garden grant … Read More

Less than a week until we have all of our Mustangs back in the classroom. HOORAY!  Here are a few key updates to help you kick off the new school year.  In this week’s Bulletin, you’ll find: – Dates and times for the school open house sessions TOMORROW (Fri, Aug 27th) – Reminder for the final “Back to School” playdate on Sun, Aug 29th at 1 pm  – Reopen Strong info and links to Medical and Dental forms required for all students by DCPS  – Link to our new, updated SCHOOL WEBSITE! – Tips and articles from Dr. Brown (our amazing school psychologist) on transitioning back to school  – Parent Volunteer Opportunities – Welcome Ambassadors for New Families and After School Club Leaders – AND MUCH MORE! See you all on Friday, Shepherd PTO Board Open Houses this FRIDAY! Come join us to meet your teacher and see your classroom on Friday, Aug 27, Below is the schedule for the day so we can better manage safety for all: PK4 students – come from 1-2 pm PK3 students – come from 2-3 pm Kinder-5th grade students – those with last names beginning with A-L should come from 3-3:30 pm; and those with last … Read More

It’s almost the last week of SUMMER! Here’s all the info to help you gear up for the start of the new school year. In this newsletter, you’ll find: School re-opening info from DCPS  Tips and articles from Dr. Brown (our amazing school psychologist) on transitioning back to school  Reminders about Sunday’s Playdate and Garden Clean Up  Dates and times for the school open houses on Fri, Aug 27 Volunteer opps – PTO Audit Committee, Parent Equity Panel, Welcome Ambassadors for New Families and Club leaders Immunization clinics at schools around us AND MUCH MORE! Don’t miss out on the latest news from Shepherd PTO! Our AtoZ Connect database has been updated to the newest version powered by Membership Toolkit. In order to keep you on the PTO email roster, we need all parents to re-register in AtoZ as soon as possible to confirm contact info. Please create your family’s new account here, ideally using the same email you used for your initial AtoZ registration. You will then receive a verification email that you must acknowledge within 2 hours in order to authorize your account. See you all real soon! Shepherd PTO Board School Supplies and Class Lists Just a reminder … Read More

Happy Almost-Back-to-School time! Welcome new and returning families – we can’t wait to see you and your children in real life again soon. This email is packed full of key info – school calendar of events, Back to School events, School Beautification Day info, Shepherd gear updates, uniform swap, and PTO volunteer opportunities! Don’t miss out on the latest news from Shepherd PTO! Our AtoZ Connect database has been updated to the newest version powered by Membership Toolkit. In order to keep you on the PTO email roster, we need all parents to re-register in AtoZ as soon as possible to confirm contact info. Please create your family’s new account here, ideally, using the same email you used for your initial AtoZ registration. You will then receive a verification email that you must acknowledge within 2 hours in order to authorize your account. See you all real soon! Shepherd PTO Board School Community Beautification Project – Jonquil Hill “Clearing” and Garden Clean-upMembers of the Shepherd community will come together on Sunday, August 22 from 10am-2 pm to clear the hill on the Jonquil St. side of the building and to perform other garden clean-up projects. As they say, “many hands … Read More

HAPPY SUMMER! This will be the last PTO Bulletin email of the school year. Whew – we made it! We’d like to thank the outgoing PTO Board, LSAT reps and the MANY, MANY parent and teacher volunteers we’ve had over the last two years who’ve helped us do Fall Fest, Auction/Gala, Movie Nights, Field Day, Book Fair, Restaurant Nights, Holiday Parties, Teacher Appreciation, School Beautification Day, Meet the Teacher Night, grant writing, PTO meetings, website revamping, Shepherd gear designs and many, many other events and initiatives we’ve done together. You all helped us keep things moving and growing for our kids and school community. We’re DEFINITELY looking forward to getting back together in REAL LIFE and engaging with our AMAZING community once again! Again, congrats to the new PTO Board and LSAT reps! We’ll be doing floor nominations for the two open PTO positions (Co-President and Assistant Treasurer) at our first meeting of the school year in Sept. And we’re looking for Committee Chairs too. More details to come there soon. REMINDER – “MOVING UP” CEREMONIES TOMORROW Come join us for popsicles and praise! The last few ceremonies will be tomorrow (Thurs, June 24) at the times noted below. Enter the playground through … Read More

Farewell Drive-by for Ms. Johnson on FRIDAY, JUNE 18th (4-5 PM) In just two days, we’ll be waving goodbye to one of Shepherd’s long-time favorite teachers, Ms. Beverly Johnson, who is retiring after this school year concludes. Please join us for a “drive-by” celebration on Friday, June 18th, from 4 to 5 PM to thank her for all she has done for our children and wish her the best. If you and your child would like to bring her a small gift or card as a token of your appreciation, we are certain she would be very touched…staff and parents who are helping with the event will help to gather these from passing well wishers. We expect to see lots of creative signs, balloons, and don’t forget to honk those horns! To keep the drive-by procession flowing, we ask that everyone please enter 14th St from the north (Kalmia) side and head south in front of the school. Even if you can’t join the live celebration, please consider sharing photos/videos, memories, and well wishes on Ms. Johnson’s Kudoboard, a keepsake memory board that we’ll present to Ms. Johnson at the end of the school year. We look forward to seeing lots … Read More

Shepherd Park Community Center Final DPR Meeting – Thursday, June 17 from 6:30pm-8pm DPR will hold its final virtual community meeting regarding the Shepherd Park Community Center. They will review the program survey results, provide an update on the athletic field renovations, and discuss the new facility operations. Please join the meeting at this link with access code ‘172 815 1034’ and password ‘shepherd’. SHEPHERD PTO BOARD AND LSAT ELECTION RESULTS On behalf of the PTO Nomination Committee, we would like to congratulate the parents elected to the PTO Board and LSAT for the 2021-2022 school year! Co-President: Taryn Losch-Beridon Co-President: OPEN Vice President: Sara Faulman Treasurer: Andrea Smith Assistant Treasurer: OPEN Recording Secretary: Ayana McIntosh Corresponding Secretary: Liz Bradley LSAT PARENT REPS: Dominic Ju, Julia Marnon and Rich Pohlman “Moving Up” Ceremonies – DATES AND TIMES Dr. Hedlund and the staff are also planning “moving up” ceremonies in person for each grade level so students have the opportunity to see one another before we close out the school year. Below are the dates and times for each grade level celebration.  PK3 – Fri, June 18 from 10-11 am PK4 – Fri, June 18 from 9-10 am Kinder – Fri, June 18  from 2-3 pm … Read More

5th Grade Promotion – Mon, June 21 at 10 am On Monday June 21, 2021 at 10:00 am, we will celebrate 5th grade promotion in person for all students and their families who would like to attend. The DPR field should be resurfaced by that date, but alternatively, we will use our playground space. We’re excited to get to celebrate these fabulous students and their major accomplishment! More details to come soon. “Moving Up” Ceremonies for ALL GRADES Dr. Hedlund and the staff are also planning “moving up” ceremonies in person for each grade level so students have the opportunity to see one another before we close out the school year. They are researching and planning for safe celebrations for our students, so please stay tuned for details coming soon! Vote NOW for PTO and LSAT reps for SY 2021-2022 – deadline Tues, June 1 Check your email and remember to vote by Tues, June 1 at 8 pm EST. All people on the PTO AtoZ Connect email list should’ve received an email from the Nomination Committee. If you are receiving this email, you’re on the list! If you have any questions, email elections@shepherd-elementary.org. Thanks again to Ana Ma, Kristin Harrison and Autumn Jackson … Read More