Dear Families,
It was strange to have three virtual days this week. Only our CARE students entered the building on Wednesday. I look forward to getting back on track next week and welcoming children back on Monday. I know today’s communication was complicated; thank you for your patience. Synching the virtual and in-person students is burdensome, but necessary for all classrooms using the simulcast model.
Many staff members who have returned to the building received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Monday, and the rest of staff members who opted for immunization will receive their second dose tomorrow. There were sore arms, low grade fevers and some body aches and pains, but we are glad to be on the other side of it. I look forward to the day when all of us who would like to be immunized are.
We will have another opportunity to offer input on reopening, and once I have more details, I will invite staff and family participation. Many of you want your voice heard, and I welcome all interested families to join this committee.
Other big news is the budget was released on Thursday, February 18th. You can find it here. Shepherd’s budget was reduced almost 200K because we are losing a homeroom next year (4th grade will only be two homerooms). Our number of English learner students has decreased as well. There will be more to come about next year’s budget as the LSAT explores options and makes some determinations. I will communicate news as quickly as I can.
Our Black History All-School Meeting will take place on Friday, February 26th from 9:00-10:00 am.
Please join us at the following link. Ms. Mack pointed out that Zoom may not work on DCPS-issued devices, so we have moved it to Teams. Your teachers and I will send out reminders next week, and we will post it on Canvas as well.
Here is the live event link for the all-school meeting
Ms. Wallace has joined third grade as a temporary teacher for Mr. Mack, and Ms. Scott who will replace Ms. Hipps starts work at Shepherd on Monday, February 22nd. Please know that I am working hard to open additional classrooms for PK 3 and 4th grade and will communicate an update soon. We are so excited to welcome them to the team. Please start to collect items for the annual toiletry drive, which starts March 1, and stay tuned for info about the Read Across America Spirit Week, which will take place the first week of March.
Thank you for your support.
Enjoy the weekend,
Phyllis