Hello Mustang families. On Thursday, we marched and drove as a community to speak out against racism and call for justice. For many of our students, it was an event they will never forget. I know I won’t. I have had many powerful and moving moments as an educator, but our walk was the most moving. We are a formidable community, and we demonstrated that in word and deed. Providing a safe space for our young students to demonstrate against racism was an important step of moving our International Baccalaureate Primary Years Progamme into action. Teachers are analyzing curricular units to devise more ways to extend learning into action, and students’ voice and choice will guide that work. Thank you to our families who made who participated, and check out our social media pages for photographs of the event. When I came on as Interim Principal last July, in my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined how school year 2019-2020 would unfold. We have been through a lot together, but through it all, we have communicated, providing feedback and changing course as necessary. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Shepherd community. Our families and staff are thoughtful, creative, action-oriented … Read More
Message from Principal Hedlund
Hello Mustang families. On Thursday, we marched and drove as a community to speak out against racism and call for justice. For many of our students, it was an event they will never forget. I know I won’t. I have had many powerful and moving moments as an educator, but our walk was the most moving. We are a formidable community, and we demonstrated that in word and deed. Providing a safe space for our young students to demonstrate against racism was an important step of moving our International Baccalaureate Primary Years Progamme into action. Teachers are analyzing curricular units to devise more ways to extend learning into action, and students’ voice and choice will guide that work. Thank you to our families who made who participated, and check out our social media pages for photographs of the event. When I came on as Interim Principal last July, in my wildest dreams, I could not have imagined how school year 2019-2020 would unfold. We have been through a lot together, but through it all, we have communicated, providing feedback and changing course as necessary. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the Shepherd community. Our families and staff are thoughtful, creative, action-oriented … Read More
Shepherd Family Demonstration
Hello Shepherd family and friends, Attached is the flyer for this Thursday’s Shepherd Family Demonstration. Please meet at the school at 5 pm this Thursday, June 18. Feel free to walk, ride or stand outside in solidarity with us. The route is on the attached flyer. Thanks for your support! Dr. Hedlund, Shepherd Staff, and the PTA Shepherd_Family_Demonstration.pdf
PTO Bulletin
A MESSAGE FROM MS. MACK AND DR. HEDLUND Hello Shepherd Families, As an IB school, our framework provides us with a unique perspective on cultivating international-mindedness and taking action in our local and global communities. At the heart of being internationally-minded, is a commitment and responsibility to taking action to ensure equity and justice for all people. Below are some resources for parents on race and racism; there are resources outlined for the entire summer. Black Lives Matter! Race and Racism Resources for Parents.docx SHEPHERD STUDENTS FOR ACTION And SAVE THE DATE for Thurs, June 18th from 5:00-6:30 pm for a peaceful demonstration walk around our neighborhood. More details on the route and gathering place will be sent soon.
Message from Principal Hedlund
Good morning everyone, Across the world, people are horrified by the murder of George Floyd, a murder once again demonstrating the cruelty, injustice and indignity that Black Americans suffer. I am sickened and outraged. It is impossible to wrap your mind about what happened during that video. That someone meant to protect would kill. That these officers’ saw George Floyd so much as other that they had no value for his life. No value at all. And if it had not been captured on video, it very likely would have been business as usual. Parents worry about their children — it is what they do, but to worry that your child may be killed for jogging or walking down the street is unconscionable. I do not know what it means for my child to be viewed as suspect. I do not know that kind of worry, and that is a privilege. Systemic racism is a reality in our country, and it must be eradicated so all people can experience the fundamental rights our democracy guarantees. In my heart, I believe we can achieve that by holding people accountable for their biases and crimes, but that is a struggle that Black … Read More
Note from the Chancellor
Dear DCPS Students and Families, DC Public Schools (DCPS) stands with our community in grieving the recent tragic deaths of George Floyd, a Black man in Minnesota, and Tony McDade, a Black Trans man in Florida. I share in the hurt, confusion, and anger about what is happening in the District and around the nation. Our community will not tolerate any actions or policies that sanction or perpetuate racism and racial violence. Now more than ever, we must turn attention to our ray of hope, our children. DCPS and the District will continue to support our young people by having courageous conversations with them around race to cultivate a brighter future. As a support to our families who are grappling with extremely difficult events and engaging in complex, challenging conversations, DCPS is providing access to anti-racism resources for you and your family. As our community navigates this moment together, I encourage you to take time to reflect, listen, and engage with one another. Event: Talking about race with your child As a part of our DCPS Parent University series, we are offering a free online workshop, “Talking about Race with Your Child” this Wednesday, June 3 at 5:30 p.m. You … Read More
Hello? Can you hear me?
Oh, I must be on mute… Ok, enough of the pandemic humor…let’s get down to business. 30 mins until the Online Auction starts! The Auction is the PTA’s BIGGEST fundraiser for the year and helps us make sure the PTA has sufficient resources to cover many gaps in the DCPS school budget like: – Providing additional supplies for the classrooms and teachers – Covering a field trip for every grade level and additional professional development for teachers and staff – Sponsoring in-school performances and community events like Jazz Night, School Beautification Day, Fall Fest and Movie Nights – Celebrating and appreciating our teachers and staff! REGISTER HERE or download the Handbid app to bid and donate to help us focus our efforts on recess equipment and materials for the 2020-2021 school year. And a HUGE thanks to our Auction sponsors – Sibley Memorial Hospital, Ledo Pizza and Chevy Chase Pediatric Dentistry.
Virtual Spring Auction
Hi Shepherd families and friends! The Virtual Auction site is now LIVE for preview. The Auction site will go live for bidding on Saturday, May 30th at 7 pm. Register here to help support our students! We’d love your support by bidding on the items we were able to secure prior to COVID-19 halting our BIG plans and will ALWAYS appreciate your donations and financial support. Donate what you would’ve spent on a sitter, a ticket, an Uber, or at the cash bar! This year’s Auction Appeal is focused on recess equipment and support. Obviously, recess will look very different when we’re back at school and we’d like to support our teachers with more play equipment, materials, dedicated space, and structure for safe recess time. Last year’s Auction Appeal raised more than $10,000 for STEM materials and the PTA was able to distribute science-focused resources, materials and manipulatives for every Shepherd student. So, we’d like to AT LEAST meet that goal again this year! Help us to: – Re-surface a new outdoor basketball court on the blacktop after the Community Center project is completed – Secure more games and recess equipment (as well as an outdoor shed to house our new toys!) – Provide our teachers with training from Playworks, a non-profit organization … Read More
Virtual Spring Auction
Hey Shepherd friends and families, We are less than 1 week away from our virtual Shepherd PTA Auction on Sat, May 30th starting at 7 pm! We are super bummed that we missed having a fun in-person gathering, but hoping we’ll get back to that next year. Obviously, it’s hard to plan for next year right now and the PTA will likely be asked to help out in different ways than we have before, but the bottom line is…WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP! We are gearing up and here is what you should do to prepare for Saturday: Register to bid and donate here Consider ordering in a meal from a local neighborhood restaurant – many of them like Ledo Pizza (one of our event sponsors!) are always great supporters of our school and it’s our turn to support them! We’ll let you know when you can start previewing the auction items later this week (obviously, we didn’t get to do the class projects and teacher experiences or secure nearly as many auction items as in years past due to COVID-19) We’ll always be thankful for your cash donations – think about donating what you would’ve spent on a ticket, … Read More
Message from Principal Hedlund
Dear Families, This week we gained information from the Mayor and Chancellor on the phased re-opening of the District and the opening of school year 2020-21. At this time, DCPS continues to solicit information from families and staff about their preferences and concerns, and there will be more details to follow. Next week is the last week of school for students. Hopefully, you had the opportunity to speak with your child’s teacher last week; if not, please reach out and schedule a time or additional time if necessary. If the stay-at-home order is lifted earlier than June 8th, we will plan to close out the building during the first week of June. I will provide additional information on close out once the dates are clearer. The Academic Leadership Team will be reflecting on the last two months and designing professional development that will complement the professional development the District will provide during the second and third weeks of June. We encourage you to provide feedback to inform that process either by email or attendance at an upcoming listening session. Through our two rounds of listening sessions by grade level, we heard consistent scheduling, clear weekly/daily expectations and more instruction. Please … Read More