PTO Bulletin

Shepherd PTOPTO Bulletins

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Monthly PTO meeting – TOMORROW – Wed, March 24th at 6:30 pm

Join us on TEAMS for this month’s PTO meeting featuring updates from Dr. Hedlund on Term 4, Spring family engagement events planned for April and May, and more mental health resources to be shared by our own school psychologist, Dr. Brown.

NEW Shepherd ONLINE GEAR SALE EXTENDED until Mon, March 29!

All of you who’ve been asking about buying gear – especially stuff for adults…here you go! New adult and youth options with some of your favorite brands like Nike and Adidas! Youth options include t-shirts, hoodies, and masks, also find stadium chairs, blankets, winter hats and tumblers…all shipped directly to your home. Place orders by MON, March 29. Orders shipped after March 29. Get your new swag here!

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Shepherd’s Spring Fling Family Engagement Events

Let’s get together and raise a little money for our school as we plan for Term 4 and next school year! SAVE THESE DATES!

 Sat, April 24th at 5pm – virtual family baking class hosted by Tiny Chefs, add-ins include ingredient kits and Shepherd aprons and chef hats to be purchased. Appropriate for all ages.

Thurs, May 6th at 8 pm – Adults-only “Shaken AND Stirred” cocktail making class hosted by the Quarantine Cocktail Club.

End of May – School “photos” to be taken outside in front of the school marquee to make sure this year doesn’t fly by without your sentimental (and cheesy!) annual school picture. Each student will sign up for a specific time. 

MORE DETAILS COMING SOON!

Next Ward 3 Ed Network meeting – Mon, April 5 at 7pm

Hear an update of the Community Working Group discussions on the proposed DCPS schools at Foxhall (adjacent to the Old Hardy School building) and on MacArthur Boulevard (the former Georgetown Day Lower School).

Slide decks for these meetings (through March 18) may be found at: https://dcpsplanning.wordpress.com/category/wilson-feeder-pattern/.

The discussions for the Foxhall site have centered on opening a new elementary school, which would potentially change boundaries and feeder patterns for Stoddert, Key, and Mann.  The discussions at the MacArthur site have focused on three options:  a new middle school, which would likely change the feeder rights for some schools in the southern part of the Deal MS boundary; a new high school, which would likely have Hardy MS feed into it; or a ninth grade academy for Wilson HS.

Register here for the April 5th meeting.

Future W3 Ed Network Dates:

Monday, May 10 — Council Chair Phil Mendelson

Monday, June 7 — DC Education Research Collaborative

ATTENTION FIFTH GRADE FAMILIES – Shepherd Chat with Deal’s Principal Neal – April 27th

Join Principal Neal as she talks with Fifth grade parents about how to get students ready for the transition to middle school.

Topic: Virtual Feeder School Chat – Shepherd

Time: Apr 27, 2021 06:30 PM Eastern Time

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87484553072

Meeting ID: 874 8455 3072

+13017158592,,87484553072# US (Washington DC)

Virtual Buddy Days for 5th graders heading to Deal

This year, Deal Buddy Days will be held virtually! This is an opportunity for incoming 6th graders to learn more about our school community by visiting morning huddle (Deal’s morning advisory and SEL check-in program) and one morning class period. Buddy Days will be scheduled on Monday mornings beginning in April. For scheduling and other information, contact Ms. Gathers, 6th-grade assistant principal, at [email protected].

Shepherd Park Library Services – MORE OPENING UP ON MARCH 29!

Beginning Monday March 29, DC Libraries will enter Phase Two services. During Phase Two, you can visit our open libraries to:

Return materials

Pick up a hold

Check out books from our Grab-n-Go selection

Have a book paged from the stacks

Get a library card

Manage your library account

Print, copy and scan services

Sign-up to use a limited number of computers for a 45-minute session once per day or one 15 minute express session per hour

Celebrate Women’s History Month with the Library

During the month of March, DC Public Library will host virtual programs and provide resources to honor these contributions and provide opportunities to explore women’s issues of the past, present and future. To find out more, click here.

 Other Library events and activities:

Tea and Chat Circle: This group will meet virtually to sip monthly featured tea and discuss affirmations within a female empowered safe space! All girls, women, and female identifying persons welcome. For more information and to register for the discussion event, please send an e-mail to [email protected]

Coffee + Conversations: Join Library users, staff and local professionals for coffee and conversation. We will be discussing current issues that are of interest to the community. Our virtual meet-up will take place every second and last Thursday of each month at 10am. For more information and to register for the discussion event, please send an e-mail to [email protected]

Google Suite Support: Are you new to Google and want to learn the basics of using Google Suite? Call (202-541-6100) or send e-mail to [email protected] for individual appointment. These one-on-one tutorials are best for those who have basic working computer knowledge.

Documentary Film Club: This group will meet virtually to review and discuss featured documentaries! We will be discussing “Learning to Skateboard in a War Zone (if you’re a girl)” The documentary is available on Kanopy, a free streaming site provided by the DC Public Library. Please visit us here if you need a library card! The online discussion will be at 5 pm on Tuesday, March 23. For more information and to register for the discussion event, please send an e-mail to [email protected]

A Look at Voter Suppression: This virtual discussion series will be held on the third Monday of each month at 7pm. Conversations will be had about voting as a civil right, vote by mail restrictions, and more. Are you politically active or knowledgeable on matters of voting? If so, we would like to invite you to lead a discussion as a guest speaker! If you would like to be a speaker or receive the link to the meeting, email shepherdparklibrary@…

Black Voices Book Club: The Black Voices Book Club meets every month to discuss novels authored by Black people from all over the world! If you would like to attend the next meeting and get ahead on the next book, please email shepherdparklibrary@…

Teen Book Club: This month we will be reading a suggestion from one of you, I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver. We welcome all those who are interested in joining regardless of age! We will be meeting virtually on March 29th at 5pm. If you would like to join the club or get more information, please email shepherdparklibrary@…

March Teen Craft:  We will be creating crafts that celebrate Women’s History Month, Holi, St. Patrick’s Day, and the beginning of Spring! If you would like to celebrate these holidays through craft, please come to the Shepherd Park Library to pick up a bag!

March Activity Bags are available for pick up! The bags include 3-4 crafts, crafts supplies and decorations, book recommendations, and coloring pages. The recommended age 2 years and older.

Family Movie Night: Our movie night bundles are doing great! We have pre-made bundles with a DVD, coloring/activity pages, and a bag of popcorn for you to pick up! If you have a particular movie that you would like to see included in a bundle for your family, email shepherdparklibrary@…

Spring Egg Hunt – Sat, April 3 at Shepherd Community Center

On April 3rd from 11am to 1pm, DPR will be hosting a Spring Egg Hunt and Basket Decorating Activity at the Shepherd Park DPR location for a small group of children ages 2 to 5 years old.  Participants will participate in an egg hunt on different sides of the School building then join inside the center to decorate in baskets and partake in prepackaged refreshments.  You’ll never know what you will get if you find that special egg!

Due to Phase 2 restrictions, the activity requires registration and will be limited to 8 participants per group including 1 parent based on a first come, first serve registration process.

Please email Ms. Shirleta Settles at [email protected] to register. 

Upcoming Important Dates:

March 24 – Shepherd PTO meeting – 6:30 pm

March 29 – Last day of Shepherd Gear Store Sale

April 3 – Spring Egg Hunt at Shepherd Community Center

April 5 – Ward 3 Ed Network Meeting – 7 pm

April 12-16 – Spring Break

April 21 – Shepherd PTO meeting – 6:30 pm

April 24 – “Spring Fling” virtual baking class

April 27 – Fifth Grade Chat with Deal Principal Neal

May 6 – “Spring Fling” cocktail-making class – 8 pm

May 31 – Memorial Day holiday