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 all the parents who turned out virtually and in person for last week's PTO meeting!  We especially appreciate the remote attendees who remained patient as we worked through technical difficulties. 

We feel confident we will have working audio for our next meeting and plan to hold another hybrid option on October 19th.  Also, please look for a survey in next week's bulletin soliciting feedback on how we can improve PTO engagement and meetings.  

October 6th and 7th are DCPS No School Days.  If you are looking for child care services, Star Achievers (SESSA) is accepting registrations. Conveniently located at Shepherd Elementary, the program offers both day (9:00 am - 3:00 pm) and extended-day options (9:00 am - 6:00 pm). To register your child, please visit the link here.  

All-school morning meetings are an important part of Shepherd's IB Programming and a great opportunity to celebrate Shepherd's diversity! The September All School Morning Meeting will focus on Hispanic Heritage Month. The event will be on Friday, September 30^th from 9:00-9:15am. All families are welcome to view virtually! If you would like to attend, please access the Microsoft Teams link here.

Please join Shepherd’s PTO and the Health & Wellness committee along with students, parents and staff for the “before school” event on Wednesday, October 12th.

Either walk 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.

We will need several parent volunteers with the walking buses.  Please email Liz Daly and Lauren Okonkwo (lizdaly86@gmail.com, lauren.okonkwo@gmail.com) if you can help.    

Thank you and we hope to see you on the walk to school! 

Sessions are filling up! Join Shepherd PTO to raise money for Shepherd and have beautiful family photos ready for your holiday cards and gifts! 

We are partnering once again with the AMAZING Katie Jett Walls for morning and afternoon mini-sessions on October 22nd, November 5th and November 6th.  

Morning sessions will be held at the Woodend Audubon Sanctuary, and afternoon sessions at the Meadows at Meadowbrook Stables.

Each 10-minute session will be $50 and all proceeds directly benefit Shepherd Elementary’s PTO.   

Please sign up for a session here.  After signing up, please visit the Shepherd PTO PayPal Account to pay for your session.  

Can't wait to see our gorgeous Shepherd families for the photo sessions!

(Photo courtesy of Katie Jett Walls)

Our amazing librarian, Ms. Scott, is looking for additional volunteers for the upcoming Book Fair. The Book Fair is scheduled from Monday, October 3rd - Friday, October 7th with various slots from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm.  If you are able to volunteer some time, please sign up here.

Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered for a Room Parent role! Room Parents are critical liaisons between the teacher/school and families.  Responsibilities include sharing class specific information and school events with families; organizing parent help for class activities; helping with fundraisers; and encouraging PTO participation. We are still looking for 1 room parent for the following classroom:

• 4th - Brown

While we have the other classrooms covered, we are still accepting any and all room parent volunteers.  We can have more than 1 room parent per classroom.  If you are interested in serving as a room parent, please complete this volunteer form.   

Young Men Future Leaders (aka Boys on the Rise) helps to engage young men through leisure, social, educational, and community service experiences that will assist in leading positive and productive lives.  The program is open for boys ages 6-12 and meets Thursdays at the Shepherd Rec Center from 5 pm - 6 pm.  You can registered your interested child through the DPR website.

Young Ladies on the Rise (aka Girls on the Rise) engages young and adolescent girls in leisure, social, educational, and community service activities to help develop them into positive and productive young adults. The program helps advance the girls’ self-identity, self-esteem, character development, and reasoning/coping skills through positive influences and a myriad of program activities.  The program is open to girls ages 6-12 and meets Tuesday and Thursdays from 4 - 5 pm at the Shepherd Rec Center. You can register your interested child through the DPR website.

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