REMINDER – NO SCHOOL Monday, Feb 15 for the President’s Day Holiday
CALENDAR CHANGE – Tues, Feb 16
Tues, Feb 16th will now be VIRTUAL for all students to allow for teachers to receive their second COVID vaccine doses. See update from DCPS here. Meal service will continue as planned from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at locations listed at www.coronavirus.dc.gov/food.
My School DC Lottery Applications – due on March 1 for PK3-8th grade. Check out the latest info here.
SAVE THE DATE – SHEPHERD PTO MEETING (Wed, Feb 24)
Wed, Feb 24 at 6:30pm will be our next PTO meeting and we’ll be welcoming in some guest speakers to talk with us about how to cope with anxiety, stress and parenting during the pandemic. More details and the TEAMS link to be shared soon.
Wellness Wednesdays – Support for Parents
See the attached PDF for info on upcoming sessions for parents put on by the DC Dept of Behavioral Health focused on “Love and Relationships” for the month of February. Thanks to Dr. Browne, our school psychologist, for sharing with us!
From Dr. Brown – Wellness Wednesday Support for Parents.PDF
Upcoming DCPS Parent University Sessions
If you haven’t looked lately, there are some great sessions being planned with some cool partners like Imagination Stage, International Spy Museum and The Theater Lab.
Click here to see the upcoming sessions.
New Military Road Citywide Pre-K School Opening Aug 2021
DCPS is opening a new school this August for School Year 2021-2022! Military Road Early Learning Center (ELC) will be a citywide, standalone early learning center with grades PK3 and PK4. This site is located in Ward 4 at 1375 Missouri Ave NW, Washington, DC 20011. You can also visit the new Military Road Early Learning Center’s school website for more details: http://bit.ly/MilitaryRoadELC. The My School DC school profile for Military Road ELC will be coming soon.
Shepherd Black History Month All-School Meetings – Feb 19 and Feb 26
We are hosting two all school meetings to celebrate Black History Month, and this year we are focused on Black History in the District. The all-school meetings will take place on 2/19 and 2/26 from 9:00-10:00 am. Look forward to an invitation to both events soon. We will be taping these events for those of you who cannot attend live.
In addition, we are running a school-wide Passport to Black History in the District. Families can go visit the sites, document their visit and send their pics to us.
We will have a slideshow at all school meetings to celebrate participation. Upload your pics here.
WE WANT YOUR PICTURES!
Passport to Black History in the District
This February, explore Black History in the District of Columbia. Although some of these locations may be closed due to the pandemic, you can do some research on what makes them of historical significance and put them on your bucket list (if you haven’t already visited) for when life goes back to normal.
Week of Feb 8-14
Decatur House/Slave Quarters
748 Jackson Place, NW
This historic house museum, completed in 1818 for white naval hero Stephen Decatur and his wife Susan, contains one of Washington’s few remaining slave quarters. The two-story service wing, where enslaved people lived and worked, runs along the H Street side of the house and now serves as the exhibit gallery and gift shop. A permanent exhibit tells the story of Charlotte Dupuy, who grew up enslaved in Kentucky and married Aaron Dupuy, also enslaved. The Dupuys and their two children were owned by U.S. Representative Henry Clay, who moved the family to this house in Washington in 1827. Charlotte Dupuy unsuccessfully sued Clay for her freedom.
Freedom Plaza
National Mall and Memorial Parks, Pennsylvania Avenue at 14th Street
Originally Western Plaza, it was renamed in 1988 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who wrote his “I Have a Dream” speech at the nearby Willard Hotel. A time capsule with relics from King’s life, including one of his Bibles, is buried in the plaza and will be opened in 2088.
Frederick Douglass Museum and Hall of Fame for Caring Americans
320 A Street, NE
Frederick Douglass (ca. 1818–1895), the leading black statesman of his time, lived the last 25 years of his life in Washington. In 1870 he arrived from Rochester, New York, as corresponding editor of the New Era newspaper. Douglass and his wife Anna Murray Douglass lived in 316 A Street and later purchased 318. In 1877 they moved to Cedar Hill in Anacostia. Numbers 316, 318 and 320 became the Museum of African Art in 1964, the first U.S. museum of its kind. In 1987 the museum—now the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art—moved to the National Mall. Today the houses serve as the Frederick Douglass Museum and Hall of Fame for Caring Americans
Lincoln Memorial
National Mall
Site where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream Speech” and Marion Anderson performed in concert after being denied access to the DAR Constitution Hall because of her race.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
West Potomac Park, 1964 Independence Avenue NW
Dedicated in 2011, the memorial honors Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and the struggle for freedom, equality and justice.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Smithsonian Institution Constitution Avenue, NW, between 14th and 15th streets
A place where all Americans can learn about the richness and diversity of the African American experience.
Week of Feb 15-21
African American Civil War Memorial
1925 Vermont Ave, NW
Commemorates the military service of hundreds of thousands of Civil War era African American soldiers and sailors. Etched into stainless steel panels of the memorial are names identifying 209,145 United States Colored Troops (USCT) who responded to the Union’s call to arms.
Duke Ellington Residences
1805 and 1816 13th Street, NW
Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, the internationally renowned composer and musician, spent his teenage years at 1805 13th Street (1910- 1914) and then at 1816 13th Street (1915- 1917). He later attributed his professional success to his parents, his music teachers, and the patrons of Frank Holliday’s poolroom at 624 T Street. Ellington formed “The Duke’s Serenaders” here before moving to New York in 1923. He became a hit in Harlem, and launched a recording career that brought him worldwide fame. Throughout his 50-year career, Ellington returned often to Washington to perform, frequently staying at the nearby Whitelaw Hotel.
Howard Theatre
620 T Street NW
A premiere showcase for more than 70 years from its opening in 1910, two decades before Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Native Washingtonians Duke Ellington and Mary Jefferson performed here, as did Ella Fitzgerald, Jackie “Moms” Mabley, and Motown’s great acts. In 1970 the theater closed after audiences dwindled in response to desegregation and the 1968 riots. The theater was declared a historic landmark in 1974, and re-opened in 1975 with go-go and rock ‘n’ roll. A few years later it closed again. In 2012 the dramatically restored Howard opened.
Lincoln Theater
1215 U Street NW
Located on Black Broadway, next to Ben’s Chili Bowl, the Lincoln Theater hosted artists such as Duke Ellington, Pearl Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday and served the African American community during segregation. It remains an active theater.
The Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
1318 Vermont Avenue NW
Mary McLeod Bethune used the power of education, political activism, and civil service to achieve racial and gender equality throughout the United States and the world. She was the first African American woman to serve as a college president, founded the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW), and the first African American woman to head a federal agency.
Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage/ 12th Street YMCA Site
1816 12th Street, NW
This social service and community center for the Shaw neighborhood occupies a hallowed building—the former home of the 12th Street YMCA, the nation’s first black YMCA. The Y was founded in 1853 in the Southwest Washington home of Anthony Bowen, a minister and formerly enslaved conductor on the Underground Railroad. Originally built in 1912 and restored in 2000, the center now honors Thurgood Marshall, the first black Supreme Court Justice. Marshall strategized here with other lawyers on the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation cases.
The Whitelaw Hotel
1839 13th Street, NW
Now a condominium building, the Whitelaw, built in 1919, was an apartment hotel that hosted black guests who were not allowed to stay at other DC hotels. Joe Louis, Benny Carter, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington all stayed at The Whitelaw.
Updates from the Shepherd Park Library
The Library is currently open for limited curbside services. You can visit our open libraries to:
- Return materials
- Pick up a hold
- Check out books from our Grab-n-Go selection
- Get a library card
- Pick up a remote print job
For information on our limited curbside service, click here.
Celebrate Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year begins a new year for the traditional lunar calendar by marking the end of winter and the beginning of spring. For many years this holiday has been celebrated with the annual Chinese Lunar New Year Parade in D.C.’s historic Chinatown neighborhood, bringing together business leaders, local organizations and community members. 2021 is the Year of the Ox, signifying hard work, honesty and positivity as we embark on a year of healing and renewal. This year, join the virtual celebrations to continue the Lunar New Year traditions.
Friday, Feb. 12 | 6 p.m.
Welcoming the Lunar New Year with Mayor Muriel Bowser
An opening ceremony and observance for this year’s Lunar New Year holiday.
Saturday, Feb. 13 | 2 p.m.
Celebrating the Lunar New Year: A Parade of Chinatown Memories
Watch a lion dance, learn about Chinatown parades of the past, and participate in interactive activities.
Explore more activities and digital resources for all ages to enjoy by visiting www.dclibrary.org/lunarnewyear.