The 18th Annual Spring Gala and Auction is Shepherd’s biggest fundraiser (and party!) of the year and a great opportunity for the community to celebrate Shepherd Elementary! We hope many Shepherd parents will come out to celebrate Shepherd together with our amazing staff on Saturday, April 1st at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in DC. Individual tickets and ticketed sponsorship are on sale now and can be purchased here! Look for the "Buy Tickets" icon.

Are you interested in donating a few hours between now and April 1st to help the Gala Committee with event preparations? The Gala requires lots of “behind the scenes” help.  We are specifically looking for volunteers to enter items into the auction system and/or to pick up items from donor businesses. Let the Committee know your interest and availability by email: SESGala@shepherd-elementary.org.

Please keep an eye out for this communication letter in your child's backpack with more ways to contribute!

Last weekend Shepherd's Star Achievers Chess Club competed in the Annapolis Chess Challenge for K-1.  Congratulations to Luke DeAngelo and Coach Greene for the 1st place finish! The Chess Club is a free activity to students enrolled in Shepherd's amazing Star Achievers aftercare program. It's a great developmental activity that enhances thinking skills and improves concentration, memory and calculation. Big shout out to Coach Greene for all he does!

Alice Deal Middle School will be hosting a virtual chat for prospective Shepherd students and their families on Wednesday February 15th at 6:30 pm. This is a great opportunity for 5th grade parents to chat with Deal administration. You can attend virtually here.  

Classrooms Going Global has launched for the school year. Each homeroom at Shepherd has a country partner for the entire school year. Students will get to learn about their country partner leading up to International Day in the spring! 

This is the first year parents will be able to visit the classroom and we are looking for volunteers to share stories, travel photographs/videos, cultural wear, games, recipes, and other global experiences with our students connected to their class' country partner. It is our hope that this program will inspire curiosity about the world. If would like to support a classroom, please fill out this signup genius. This signup genius includes the country partner for each classroom.

Just a friendly reminder, that each homeroom has been assigned 1 plush Marcus the Mustang and Winter Break is a perfect time to bring him on an adventure. If you have an upcoming trip and are comfortable 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. 

On Thursday, February 9th, Shepherd will celebrate the 100th day of school for the 2022-2023 year.  Sometimes 100 days in school can feel like 100 years.  On Thursday we are encouraging all students to dress as if they are 100 years old.  

"Coffee & Conversations with Principal Russell" for 3rd Grade families will be held on Tuesday, February 14th at 8:45 am.  It's a great opportunity to chat with Principal Russell and get to know other 3rd Grade families. We hope you can make it.

Please mark your calendars!  The February PTO Meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 15th.  

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

A link will be shared next week.  

The February All School Morning Meeting will be held Friday, February 17th at 9:00 am. The meeting will be a celebration of Black History Month, International Mother Language Day, IB Learner Profile Attribute of the month: Principled, and Approaches to Learning: Self-Management.  You can connect virtually to the event here.  

4th and 5th Grade Bingo night was a hit! Now 2nd and 3rd grade families are invited to the next monthly Bingo & Bites Night hosted by the Shepherd PTO and Staff Family Engagement Committees. Bingo will take place in the Multi-purpose room on Thursday, March 2nd from 5:30 - 7:00 pm. 

This is a family event so all students must be accompanied and supervised by an adult. While the game will be targeted for 2nd - 3rd graders, siblings are welcome to attend. Some light snacks will be provided. If you feel inclined to bring dinner, please remember, Shepherd is a nut-free facility.  Please RSVP for the event here. 

Each month, the Bulletin will feature parent resources courtesy of Dr. Persephone Brown, our wonderful School Psychologist.  These resources provide tips to help with your physical, social and emotional well-being.  Take a few moments to read or listen to some of these pieces and know we're here for you and your students.   

• National Self-Check Month
• Self-Love Affirmations and Motivation
  • I AM AFFIRMATIONS of Gratitude, Self-Love, and Success
  • SELF LOVE |10 Minutes to Start Your Day Right!
• Celebrating Black History Month
  • NMAAHC Celebrates Black History
  • NMAAHC Initiatives
  • Netflix: Black History is American History
  • PBS: The African American Experience
  • Common Sense Media: Black History Movies that Tackle Racism
• 40 Best Men's Health Podcasts You Must Follow in 2023
• New Year’s Never-lutions: 5 Things Not to Do This Year
• 3 Hidden Stressors That Are Sabotaging Your Mental Health
• Martha Beck’s New Cure for Anxiety
• Self-Improvement Books for 2023
  • 10 great self-improvement books to help you start 2023 off right 
  • 38 Best Self-Improvement Books to Read in 2023

The door for our new Little Library outside the school has fallen off. We're looking for a handy parent who can help replace the hinges and ensure the books inside are protected from the weather.  If you think you can assist, please email info@shepherd-elementary.org.  

The Facilities Improvement Committee is looking to move forward with preparing for its support to Shepherd's Outdoor Learning space.  Help is needed from our PTO community!  One of the recommended learning spaces are moveable seats cut from a large tree trunk. We have a fallen tree identified on a family's property, but are looking for an experienced parent with a chainsaw to help us turn a downed tree into a classroom experience.  If you can assist, please email info@shepherd-elementary.org.

Congratulations to Ms. Caola and Dr. Wilson as our January TAP winners!

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)