PTO Bulletin

Shepherd PTOPTO Bulletins

Shepherd Elementary School logo

DECEMBER PTO MEETING – TOMORROW (Wed, Dec 9th) at 6:30 pm

Join us via TEAMS here for our monthly PTO meeting. Dr. Hedlund will be updating everyone on:

  • Re-Opening Community Corps updates
  • Launch of the first CARES class
  • New ELA and Math data
  • Shepherd’s Panorama Survey results
  • HVAC updates

GET YOUR HOLIDAY WREATHS AND GREENS AND SUPPORT THE PTO – only 5 days left to order!

We’re excited to be working with Lynch Creek Farms again this year to do online order and direct home delivery of holiday wreaths and greens for the season. Their products are lovely and anyone across the country can order items and help support Shepherd PTO. Share with your family and friends near and far!

Every time someone shops for holiday decor through our group’s fundraising page, Shepherd PTO will receive 15% of the purchase!

Help us reach our $1000 goal! Order here and share the link with family and friends – https://www.lynchcreekfundraising.com/c/253742   

D.C. Council Roundtable on the Return to In-person Instruction for DCPS 

Chairman Phil Mendelson and Councilmember David Grosso hosted a joint roundtable of the Committee of the Whole and the Committee on Education on the Return to In-person Instruction in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). 

The purpose of this roundtable was to hear from DCPS parents, guardians, and other educational stakeholders on DCPS’ proposed plan to return to in-person instruction safely.

The Council is still soliciting written statements and they will be made a part of the official record. Statements should be submitted by email to astrange@dccouncil.us. The record will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 16, 2020.

4th and 5th Grade Families – GET YOUR FREE National Park Service PASSES

Launched by the Obama administration in 2015 to coincide with the one hundredth anniversary of the National Park Service, the Every Kid Outdoors Program provides an annual pass for fourth graders and their families to visit national parks, forests, lands, monuments, waters and wildlife refuges across the country for FREE!

Unfortunately, last year’s fourth graders were not able to make full use of the Every Kid Outdoors Pass due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To remedy this, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior recently signed an Order extending the program to fifth graders and their families for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year – through August 31, 2021 to be exact!

Click here for info on the National Park Service’s website and to learn how to take advantage of this special program. 

WOODROW WILSON HIGH SCHOOL NAME CHANGE SURVEY

DC City Council is looking for input on changing the name of Wilson High School. Provide your comments and input here.

UPDATES FROM SHEPHERD PARK LIBRARY

Change in Library Hours

The select libraries currently open for limited services will have new hours:

Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Each location will close from 2 – 3 p.m. for cleaning.

Next Libris: Library Facilities Master Plan

DC Public Library developed the Facilities Master Plan to help guide its physical service delivery strategy for the next 10 years and beyond. It is aspirational and proposes that in the future, the Library will need to and should serve more residents, more equitably, than it does today. The Library will accomplish this by tailoring libraries to respond to individual community needs and by growing the system to meet the needs of an expanding city.

Next Libris is a living document that will be updated as new information becomes available, enabling the Library to respond to changing circumstances and opportunities. Find more information and read the document here. The Shepherd Park Citizen’s Association will host a community meeting TONIGHT at 7 p.m. where the Library will address the recommendation and listen to community concerns. In order to ensure that we have sufficient capacity for our virtual meeting, please register using this link.

King Bullfrog – Family Music Programs for December

Enjoy King Bullfrog on Thursdays at 3 p.m. for a fun family musical program! Click here for more information. Watch on Facebook Live

Next Dates:

Dec. 10:  Telling Stories Through Song

Dec. 17:  Animal Ballads

Shepherd Park Branch Highlights for ALL AUDIENCES

*NEW* Black Voices Book Club: The Black Voices Book Club meets every month to discuss novels authored by Black people from all over the world! This month we are reading Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler. We will be meeting virtually on January 4, 2021 at 7pm. If you would like to attend and receive the link please email shepherdparklibrary@dc.gov.

Teen Book Club: This month we are reading Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. We will be having a virtual meeting in January after the holidays, if you would like to attend and receive the link please email shepherdparklibrary@dc.gov.

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@dc.gov

Activity Bags are available for pick up! The bags include crafts supplies and decorations, book recommendations, and coloring pages. The recommended age group is 2-10 years.

December Teen Craft: There are three origami craft options that teens can choose to participate in, there is one for Kwanza, Christmas, and Hanukah. We have also provided information on the three holidays, recipes you might want to try, and other crafts you can try at home. Lastly in our packets we have information about New Years and how it is celebrated around the world. Come into the branch to pick up the holiday origami craft packet!

Free Giveaway Books: We have some great books that we would like to give away to you every day. Look for the black cart where the periodicals are and “shop” for a new book that will interest you! We have books for everyone available!