The Gala is coming in just 6 short weeks and parent participation is critical to its success! 

Have you considered donating to the silent auction? 

Perhaps you have season tickets for one of DC’s sports teams, a vacation home with on/off-season availability, or you’re a home chef that loves to bake bread and would toss a few loaves to the highest bidder! 

If you love to entertain, perhaps you’d be interested in hosting a “sign-up” party later this year - anything from a small dinner party to a big backyard bash for adults or kids - with tickets sold in the auction and proceeds benefiting Shepherd Elementary. Sign-up parties are a great way to build community and meet other families at Shepherd! 

Just fill out the simple online donation form, or contact the Gala Committee to coordinate your donation. Remember, no donation is too small and every contribution helps Shepherd to meet its educational goals! 

Tickets for the event can also be purchased here. Navigate to the "Buy Tickets" section at the top. Please note tickets must be purchased in advance of the event. 

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.

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

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

You can join us virtually here or dial: ‪(US) +1 417-448-6041‬ PIN: ‪833 208 511‬#

This month's agenda will include:

• Upcoming Events
• February TAP Nomination
• Update from Principal Russell
• Treasurer's Report Update
• Committee Updates 

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.  

On Tuesday,February 28th, PreK-3 through 1st grade classes will participate in a special Mardi Gras Event.  Students are encouraged to dress in yellow, green, purple or Mardi Gras cultural attire.

The celebration will begin at 1:00 pm and culminate with a parade outside the school at 3:00 pm. If you are able to volunteer some time for the event, please visit the Sign-up Genius 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. 

You can contribute to the Shepherd PTO just by shopping at Amazon through the Amazon Smile program. Register your existing Amazon account by going to smile.amazon.com. Choose Shepherd Elementary as your charity. Then simply bookmark and shop through the dedicated Amazon Smile URL. Amazon will donate .5% of the price of eligible purchases to Shepherd. Most of the things you already buy from Amazon are eligible!

The Box Tops for Education app is a quick and easy way to give back to Shepherd.  Simply follow these steps:

• Download the "Box Tops for Education" App

• Create an Account

• Search for "Shepherd Elementary" under "Find a School."  Then select the Shepherd school associated with 7800 14th Street NW.

• Scan paper receipts into the app within 14 days of purchase. The app will automatically recognize Box Top Products

• Sit back and watch Shepherd's earnings grow!

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)