Fall FUNdraising event THIS WEEKEND

Fall Fest, the PTO's annual fall FUNdraising effort, is returning to Shepherd on Sunday, October 20, from 12 PM - 4 PM. Come for the Game Truck, Wow Wheelz, Carnival Games, Arts & Crafts, Concessions, and our very own DJ Velez! 14th St. between Jonquil and Kalmia will be closed for the festivities.

New for this year is a "Mini Camp Expo" to meet and greet local summer camps!

Social Hour at Juneberry Garage

Please join the Family Engagement Committee for a Social Hour at Juneberry Garage (6810 Cameron Dr NW) on Friday, October 25th at 5:00PM. Juneberry Garage is the new beer garden patio next to the dog park at the Parks at Walter Reed. Families can purchase their own drinks from the airstream, food from the food truck vendor (TBD), or bring in outdoor food. The space is an outdoor patio, so please dress accordingly. Also, parking is limited on the Walter Reed campus so we encourage walking if possible. We hope you can make it!

Thank You Families for Giving the Teacher Lounge Love <3

A HUGE Thank you to Jodi Arellano, Sara Faulman, and kids — Parker Faulman (8th gr at Deal), Sebastian A (6th grader at Deal), and Rafael A (2nd Grade at Shepherd) — for cleaning the teachers lounge last week.

Volunteer for SES Fall Art Show

SES has an upcoming Fall Art Show! Please complete the form below to sign up for a volunteer role on Tuesday, November 19. We appreciate your time and commitment! Sign-up here.

SESSA After School Clubs

SESSA's after school clubs are finally here! Sign ups are live! Most clubs will begin the week of October 21st. We are excited to offer many clubs for this first semester! Please take the time to review the grade restrictions, start and end dates, and meeting days/times for any club you are interested in signing up for. We look forward to adding more clubs in the second semester as well. To take a look at which clubs will be offered this semester click here or visit our website at https://starachievers.jumbula.com/.

As a reminder for those not in SESSA full time that wish to sign up for enrichments may do so, but must either pay for drop-in service on days they wish their child to stay with after school right at school dismissal or must pick up at school dismissal and return when SESSA's after school club meets.

For any additional questions please email eric.viera@sesstarachievers.com

Reminder - Volunteer Clearance

We encourage our families to complete the volunteer clearance process early on in the school year. DCPS requires all volunteers, including parents, to complete the DCPS Clearance process before volunteer services can be provided. This includes anyone who may become a room parent, chaperone for field trips, or volunteer for various school-day events. Clearances last for two years. If you have completed your clearance, please send a copy of your letter to brenda.wilson@k12.dc.gov.

Giving Back Opportunities

Teacher Appreciation Program (TAP)

The Teacher Appreciation Program, or TAP, gives parents an opportunity to recognize a teacher at Shepherd for their great work and dedication. TAP invites parents to write a letter of appreciation recognizing a teacher who has been especially helpful or admirable in the classroom.

Once a month, a special teacher will be selected from the nominations to receive a Wishlist fund bonus. The recognition letters will also be shared with the selected teacher and school community.

TAP a teacher today by submitting a nomination here.

Staying Connected

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.

Time to Support the 2024-2025 Shepherd 180 Fund

Help the Shepherd PTO fund lots of great events, initiatives, and extra circular efforts at Shepherd this year by donating to the 180 Fund.

It's called the 180 Fund because there are 180 instructional days in the school year and your donation of a dollar a day per student helps the PTO support sending students on offsite field trips, funding teacher educational wish lists, putting on school plays and concerts, updating outdoor playground equipment, funding additional academic supports, and hosting school-wide events! This budget really helps us give our students even more unique, meaningful and enriching opportunities each year.

Any contribution is always much appreciated. And as a reminder, your contribution is 100% tax deductible. Thanks for your support!

Upcoming Events

Fall Fest

Book-a-ween Parade

Records Day (No School)

Election Day (No School)

Veterans Day (No School)

Dates

Sunday, October 20

Thursday, October 31

Monday, November 4

Tuesday, November 5

Monday, November 11

Follow Shepherd PTO on FB and Insta

Keep up with the latest updates, events and fun things going on at Shepherd by following our FB page (@ShepherdElemPTO) and Instagram (@shepherd_elementary).

SUBJECT: Shepherd PTO Bulletin - 10/17/24