Originally delivered on 2/6/2025 5:30 pm

SUBJECT: Shepherd PTO Bulletin - 2/6/25

Camping Trip at Cunningham Falls

Join other Shepherd Elementary families for a really fun weekend at Cunningham Falls May 16-18! Everyone must book their own sites (reservations made here) and it's strongly encouraged to do this early on before all the sites get taken. The recommended sites are in the Elderberry Loop starting at the entrance to the loop (sites 118 or 149) and then moving further towards the center of the loop as spaces get filled. Here are a few details to keep in mind:

  • Each site has a maximum of 2 tents, 6 people, but you are welcome to partner with another family if you can fit within that limit. No pets allowed. Feel free to reference this form to help coordinate being next to a classmates' site, and make sure to add your own info once you've booked yours!
  • With all fees, each site comes to around $51 for the weekend, and this covers entrance to the lake and the rest of the park. However it does not cover food - everyone is expected to organize their own meals. 
  • There will be light programming to foster community (s'more nights, park ranger activities, picnic at lake, etc) but you are free to come and go as you please. 
  • Please email Kimberly Hauge if you have any questions, and make sure to let her know when you have booked a site so we can keep track of where everyone is. 
Staying Healthy this Winter

Shepherd continues to have had an uptick in various illnesses at school this month. We must work together to keep our children and faculty healthy. Viruses and colds spread quickly among children in schools and families. 

If your child has cold or flu-like symptoms, please consider keeping them home until they feel better, as this helps prevent the spread of illness to others. And always follow the doctor's recommendations. Please always submit an excuse note to the main office if your child is sick or goes to the doctor.

As a school, staff do their best to ensure that all students and faculties remain healthy. They will continue to sanitize and disinfect the building daily.

Let’s stay healthy, Mustangs; we are in this together!

SESSA Updates

Before or After Care Enrollment?

Are you anticipating some needs in before or after care? SESSA is asking that families reach out as soon as they know. 

Hiring for Morning Shifts

SESSA is hiring for the morning shift (7:15 AM-8:45 AM). This is a great part-time position for retirees, nannies, au pairs etc. Know of anybody who may be interested? Please refer them!

Alice Deal Open Houses - For 5th Grade Families

Deal welcomes 5th grade Shepherd families to join our dedicated Virtual Feeder School Chat on Wednesday, February 26 at 6:30PM- 7:30PM -  bit.ly/SHEPHERDFEB26

Upcoming In Person Open Houses! 

5th Grade Families - HERE WE GROW! Join Alice Deal Middle School in one of our open houses! Come by to visit Deal's campus, meet with Principal Neal, and participate in student guided tours. We look forward to meeting you! 

  • Saturday, March, 22, 2025 - 10:00 - 12:00 noon
  • Wednesday, April 2, 2025 - 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 26, 2025 - 10:00 - 12:00 noon
  • Wednesday, May 21, 2025 - 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 31, 2025 - 10:00 -12:00 noon

Registration Encouragedhttps://bit.ly/DealOpenHouse2025.
Walk-Ins Welcome!

IB Election Results - From Ms. Alvarez

What an amazing day!! We had a blast during our election/pizza party. It's been a joy to work with your children! Below are the results from the election. Only 5th grade IB Ambassadors could run for these positions, but all 3-5 IB Ambassadors could vote. These positions were determined based on student IB Ambassador votes only. Congratulations to all IB Ambassadors and to the Ambassadors who earned the elected positions below! We look forward to continuing to have a great school year!

  • President- Madeline Romine
  • Vice President- Graham Bowie
  • Secretary- Lucy Schmidt 
The Teacher Appreciation Program

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.

Thank you To Our 180 Families! 69 Families and Counting....

McIntosh Family

Daly Family

Ma-Holdridge Family

Singh Family

Archer Family

Anne Brumbaugh

Raglani Family

McNeill Family

Batler-Landau Family

Riley-Keck Family

Tivol-Kaufmann Family

Elizabeth Henthorne

Snyder-Johnson Family

Boykin Family

Reddy Family

Bowie Family

Fagen-Marks Family

Jabaily-Messing Family

Kane Family

Krill Family

Rebecca Livengood

Boyd Family

Rijmen Family

Toussaint Family

Browder-Kotlarewsky Family

Christopher Dye

Humphries Family

Masters Family

Bingham-Snyder Family

Arellano Family

Westley-Zongker Family

Schiefelbein-Tang Family

Mike and Marquisha Thomas

Mayorga Family

Callie Eideberg

DeAngelo Family

Marrkand Family

Warren and Amber Romine

Kominakos Family

Godoy Family

Hauge Family

Cooper Family

Hoehn Family

Ju Family

Cendrine Robinson

Arellano Family

Walejko & Markham Family

Frias Family

Goodman Family

Prabhu-McDonald Family

Howard Family

Hechter Family

Marnon Family

Van Aelst - Saulpaugh Family

Zettle-Kresiberg Family

Miller Family

Castillo-Schreuder Family

Shireen Sarraf

Scott Family

Mainor Family

Rollins Family

Ariel Vaagen

Benedetti Family

Jacob Monninger

Mokodean Family

Paige Newson

Gilberg/Prince Family

Kate Healy

Shauna St.Clair

Staying Connected

Mustang Express

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

Shepherd Elementary Groups.io

The Shepherd PTO has a Groups.io that can be used to communicate with the community. To join, please click here.

Shepherd's IB Monthly

Check out this month's IB Newsletter here.  

Shepherd Elementary Calendar

Add the Shepherd Elementary Google calendar to your personal Google account. Need instructions on how to add to your own calendar? Click here.

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).

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