Fall Fest, the PTO's annual fall FUNdraising effort, is returning to Shepherd and will take place on Sunday, October 20, from 12 PM to 4 PM. For those families that haven't been to Fall Fest before, 14th St. between Jonquil and Kalmia will be closed for the festivities. There will be a DJ, carnival games, arts & crafts, cotton candy, popcorn, snow cones, and more! 

Important Need - Sponsorships!

Do you or your friends own businesses that would be interested in sponsoring Fall Fest? Think landscapers, realtors, and brick-and-mortar businesses. Sponsorship opportunities are available at various levels, each offering unique benefits. If you know of any businesses that would like to support our school and gain exposure in return, please encourage them to contact us at pto@shepherd-elementary.org. Together, we can make Fall Fest a memorable event for everyone involved! Thank you for your support!

Students Need Service Hours?

The Shepherd Elementary School’s Annual Fall Fest is calling Middle School & High School Students to Volunteer for set-up, concessions, carnival games, ticket sales and break-down to earn service hours. Sign-up here. 

Please join Shepherd’s PTO and the Health & Wellness committee along with students, parents and staff for the National Walk & Roll to School Day event on Wednesday, October 9.

Either walk, bike or scooter from home along your customary route or meet us at one of three meet-up locations to join a “walking school bus.” 

The meet-up locations are:

• Marvin Caplan Park at the corner of Alaska Avenue and Holly Street NW– Group will leave promptly at 8:10am.
• Triangle park at the corner of Luzon Avenue and Van Buren Street NW– Group will leave promptly at 8:00am.
• Lowell Field at the corner of Kalmia and 17th Streets NW – Group will leave promptly at 8:10am.

Volunteers Needed!

We still need several parent volunteers to operate the walking buses. If you can be a group leader, please sign up here. 

Our school-wide IB community action project is connected to the United Nations Sustainable Development goal No Poverty.  As a school community, we will be reading Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña. Last Stop on Market Street is a beautifully illustrated book that looks at material poverty through the eyes of a young boy who rides on a bus with his grandmother across town. You can find this book on Youtube, at your local library, or maybe even in our school library. Our community action project is our annual coat drive! 5th grade will be leading us in this effort! More information coming soon for how to get involved! 

We appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We have tolerance. We consider other points of view and are willing to grow from the experience.   

Approach to Learning Skill of the Month: Social Skills 

This includes developing positive interpersonal relationships and collaboration skills and developing social-emotional intelligence.

Mustang Express

Check out this week's Mustang Express, SES's weekly newsletter from leadership. 

Shepherd Elementary Groups.io

As a reminder, the Shepherd PTO has a Groups.io that can be used to communicate with the community. To actively join our Shepherd Elementary School Parents groups.io, please click here and select the blue button that says "Apply for Membership in this Group." If you have any questions, please email info@shepherd-elementary.org.

Shepherd Elementary Calendar

You can also add the Shepherd Elementary Google calendar to your personal Google account. Log into your Google account and navigate to the Shepherd Elementary Calendar website. In the lower right-hand corner of the calendar, there's an icon that says "+ Google Calendar." If you click this icon, it will redirect you to your personal Google calendar and prompt you to "add" the Shepherd Elementary calendar. More detailed instructions can be found here.

Flag Star Camp on 10/11

We are thrilled to be partnering with The Jackson Reed Football team to offer our ambitious ballers a few hours of skills, drills and fun as a fundraiser! Register here. 

Where: Jackson Reed High School, 3950 Chesapeake St NW

What: Three hours of skills, drills and games along with the chance to meet and play with the Jackson Reed Football Players

When: October 11th 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Who: All Skill Levels - Girls and Boys 2nd - 7th Grade

Cost: $85.00

Email HQ@flagstarfootball.com for financial aid and any other questions*

Youth Soccer Camp on 10/14

The Boys Varsity Soccer Team at Jackson-Reed HS is holding a soccer camp on Monday, October 14th (DCPS does not have school that day). We are looking for 1st through 5th Graders who want to spend the morning learning some soccer skills and playing fun games. (limit 50 kids) The camp will be at the Jackson-Reed High School Soccer Field. We did this in June and it was a huge success and the kids had a great time. Register here. 

When: 9AM -12PM on Monday, Oct 14th (DCPS does not have school that day)

Where: Jackson-Reed High School Soccer Field

Cost:  $40/camper, includes a pizza lunch at 12PM. 

For any questions, please email Quinn McInerney (Captain - Jackson-Reed Varsity Soccer Team) at quinnmci28@gmail.com.