Shepherd Elementary is excited to welcome back families in-person for the Annual Winter Concert and Holiday Bazaar on Wednesday, December 14th.  

The Winter Concert, scheduled for 6:00 pm, is a can't-miss event where families are invited to watch ECE - 2nd grade students and the Shepherd Elementary Choir perform songs in the spirit of the holidays.  

This year, we are also excited to welcome back the Holiday Bazaar marketplace where local vendors will be able to showcase their merchandise.  The Bazaar will be open from 5 pm - 8 pm. It's a great opportunity to find some holiday gifts and support local small businesses!  You can preview all the vendors on the Holiday Bazaar website. 

The PTO will be selling hot cocoa and baked goods as part of a fundraiser.  Cash is preferred! 

If you are able to volunteer some time to help set-up and host the Bazaar, please email fundraising@shepherd-elementary.org.

We will also have a Shepherd spirit wear sale at The Winter Concert & Holiday Bazaar on December 14th. We will have new colors in youth hoodies, youth crewneck sweatshirts, and long-sleeve adult shirts.  As a reminder, sales will be cashless and you have two flexible options for payment:  

• Pre-pay - Visit the PTO Square Site to pay for your spirit wear. If you prepay, please stop by the table on Sunday for pickup
• Day-of-sale - Tap or dip your card or scan our QR code, then pick up your gear and go! 

On Thanksgiving Day, members of the Shepherd Elementary community came together to participate in America's Trot for Hunger to benefit So Others Might Eat (S.O.M.E.).  The event was a great way for families to stay active on the holiday and raise money for a good cause. Thank you to everyone who participated! 

Edfest is approaching and the school would love to have a couple parent volunteers to speak about their experience at Shepherd. Edfest is DC’s virtual public school fair! This is a chance for families to come and explore the city’s many public school options (PK3 - grade 12). We want to highlight all of the amazing things going on at Shepherd. The virtual Edfest event will be held on Saturday, December 10^th from 10am-1pm. Please sign up here for a volunteer slot or email Ms. Mack at avani.mack@k12.dc.gov if you are available. 

EdFEST, DC’s annual public school fair, will be held virtually on Saturday, Dec. 10 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Students and families will be able to visit Shepherd's virtual booth, chat directly with school representatives and learn about the public school lottery – all from their device. With the launch of the public school lottery application on Dec. 12, 2022 for the 2023-24 school year, EdFEST is a timely event to help families make informed choices.

• Date: Saturday, December 10, 2022 

• Time: 10:00am - 1:00pm 

• Location: Expo XP event platform (same platform as last year)

  
  

"Coffee & Conversations with Principal Russell" for 1st Grade families will be held on Tuesday, December 13th at 8:45 am.  It's a great opportunity to chat with Principal Russell and get to know other 1st Grade families. We hope you can make it.

Please mark your calendars!  Due to the Winter Concert on Wednesday December 14th, the December PTO Meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 13th.  

This will be a virtual-only event and will begin at 5:30 pm.

Please connect via this meeting link or dial: +1 301-715-8592 Passcode: 948645 (Meeting ID: 890 6492 6863)

The agenda will include:

• Upcoming Events
• December's TAP nomination
• Principal Russell's Report
• IB Update from Ms. Mack
• PTO Treasurer's Report
• PTO Advocacy Committee Report-out on Boundary Study/Feeder Patterns

Meet Marcus! Marcus is Shepherd's traveling Mustang. This school year students will have the opportunity to take Marcus on their world adventures.

There is one plush Marcus the Mustang per homeroom. If you are comfortable with them taking Marcus along, please take photos to document the journey and upload the photos with brief descriptions on Shepherd's school-wide digital map here. The digital map is easy to use. Just click on the "+" button on the lower right-hand corner of the screen. From there, you will be able to search the location you traveled to or drag and drop a pin anywhere on the map. You will then be able to add a description and upload a photo by clicking on the file upload icon.

Please remind your student to take special care of Marcus. We want as many students as possible to have the opportunity to share about their journeys. 

Shout to 5^th grade for hosting our school-wide IB action project for the month of December! 5^th grade students made posters and have a coat drive box in the atrium.  Our school community will be partnering with Guy Mason's Coat Drive! This community project is connected to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal "No Poverty." New or gently worn coats can be dropped off in the atrium from December 1st- December 21^st

We will also connect children's books to each of our monthly action projects. As a school community, we will be reading the book Last Stop on Market Street. "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. As CJ points out the things that other people have that he doesn’t, his grandmother responds with a positive and hopeful answer to show the beauty of life’s simpler things, the wonderful people who they know and meet on their ride through the city, and how rich their lives already are." If you would like to read this book at home, you can find it at your local library or on YouTube.  

Please join our 2nd graders as they host the December All School Morning Meeting on Friday, December 16th at 9:00 am.  The themes are holidays around the world and Human Rights Day! We hope you can join us virtually here.  You won't want to miss it!

As we approach the end of ‘22, we have so much to be thankful for at Shepherd.  One of the most important things we are grateful for is our teachers & staff!  This dedicated team challenges, inspires, and advances our children’s intellectual, social and emotional development.  They make Shepherd a safe and nurturing environment for our kids.  

The Shepherd PTO would like to give back to the teachers & staff who give so selflessly to our children every day.  The current teacher and staff lounge is in need of renovation - to include new appliances, furniture, and paint.  A lounge makeover would create an inviting space where teachers can consult, socialize, and recharge.  

If you have the ability, would you please consider a $22 donation to the Shepherd PTO by the end of 2022? All $22 donations are tax deductible and will be earmarked for the lounge upgrades and related teacher appreciation activities. Donations can easily be made here.  

We greatly appreciate your consideration of this request and hope you have a safe & happy month of December. 

As we prepare for the holidays, we're hoping to lift spirits and spread cheer! And since we're all home a lot more, why not have something beautiful to enjoy? 

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

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

In order to receive your greenery in time to decorate, now is the perfect time to place your order!

Help us meet our $1000 goal and make purchases online here

The PTO Board is asking the community if any families would be able to donate an iPad or similar tablet device.  This device would be used to ensure quicker and more efficient onsite sales for events, gear, and spirit wear. If you have a device that you think would fit our need, please email info@shepherd-elementary.org. Thank you!

Congratulations to Ms. Anna Marie Pereira as our November TAP winner!

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.

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)