Originally delivered on 4/12/2023 4:44 pm

SUBJECT: Shepherd PTO Bulletin - 04/12/2023

April 12, 2023


In this week's bulletin....


- Reenrollment & Enrollment Blitz

- Pictures for the Yearbook

- Planning for Teacher Appreciation Week

- Auction Site Open through 04/30

- Upcoming Events

  • K/1st Grade Bingo & Bites Night
  • April PTO Meeting
  • April All School Morning Meeting

- IB Corner

  • Deal & Shepherd IB Collaboration
  • IB MakerSpace Update
  • IB Action Projects
  • Classrooms Going Global
  • IB Community Directory Update
  • Marcus' Adventures Continue

- Dr Brown Corner 

Ways to Give Back

  • Shepherd PTO Board Nominations
  • Box Tops for Education

- Community Offerings

- Teacher Appreciation Program (TAP)

- Shepherd 180 Fund

- Other Important Dates

  • April 17th - 21st - Spring Break
  • May 8th - 12th - Teacher Appreciation Week
Reenrollment & Enrollment Blitz

Reenrollment is open!! If you are ready to reenroll your child at Shepherd, please visit the DCPS enrollment page here.

In addition, on Wednesday April 26th, the school will host an Enrollment blitz in the cafeteria. Devices will be set up for families to enroll. You can also use this time to ask clarifying questions to ensure you have all you need and your enrollment package is complete.  

Pictures for the Yearbook

Calling all family photographers! After a recent pause for the pandemic, Shepherd is reviving its annual yearbook and we are looking for photos to document the 2022-2023 school year's event. We are specifically looking for photos from the winter concert, HBCU night, special French events and productions, Fall Fest, Aladdin, Circus Circus, field trips, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated. If you have any photos, please email them to Robyn Showanes at robyn.showanes@gmail.com by April 24th.

Planning for Teacher Appreciation Week

Can you believe its almost May? The second week in May is always one of the most important weeks of the year for Shepherd: Teacher Appreciation Week! The Curriculum and Staff Support Committee will be meeting this month to brainstorm on how to recognize the amazing teachers and staff who give so much to Shepherd every day. We would love input from the greater community on how we can ensure teachers feel appreciated. More information will be available shortly on how you can contribute.  

Auction Site Open Through 04/30

The auction site is still open and many of the remaining items have been marked down to bids starting at 1/4 their Fair Market Value. When you log into the Handbid app, use the scroll at the top to find the "Last Chance" section. 

Bidding on auction items in the app will close on April 30th at 8:00 pm. As always, if you have any questions, please email sesgala@shepherd-elementary.org. Thanks again for your support of Shepherd! 

UPCOMING EVENTS
Kindergarten & 1st Grade Bingo & Bites Night

Monthly Bingo night has been a hit with the community! Now K and 1st grade families are invited to the next Bingo & Bites Night hosted by the Shepherd PTO and Staff Family Engagement Committees. Bingo will take place in the Multi-purpose room on Thursday, April 13th 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 K-1st 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.

April PTO Meeting

Our April PTO Meeting will be held Wednesday, April 26th.  We will hold an in-person session at 5:30 pm in the Shepherd Cafeteria.  

We will also offer a virtual option as well.  Please connect via this meeting link or dial: ‪(US) +1 234-759-0374‬ PIN: ‪579 099 938‬# 

An agenda will be released prior to the meeting. 

April All School Morning Meeting

As an IB school, we include a variety of diversity and inclusion celebrations throughout the school year. This month's all-school theme is Arab Heritage Month and Earth Day. On Friday, April 28th from 9:00-9:45am, PK4 grade will share interesting facts and performances. You won't want to miss it! Please join us.You can connect virtually to the event here.  

Coffee at Drop-Off Hosted by the Family Engagement Committee

Please join the Family Engagement Committee for monthly coffees outside the school.  Coffee will be available on May 1st (please note new date for May!) and June 5th from 8:20 am - 9:00 am. After dropping off your students, please take a moment to enjoy the morning pick-me-up and briefly socialize with other families. 

IB Corner
Deal & Shepherd IB Collaboration

We are excited to announce that this spring 5th grade students will have the opportunity to connect with Deal Middle School students. Deal students will serve on a panel to give advice and share tips on the exhibition process. We look forward to this opportunity for collaboration between the two IB schools.

IB MakerSpace Update

The IB makerspace is coming along! A special thank you to the PTO for painting the walls and providing makerspace materials. We recently decorated the walls with posters and maps. We also ordered a green screen for the students! We are just waiting for our new collection of IB-related books to arrive through our grant and then the makerspace will be complete! More pictures to come! This will be a collaborative space for all students.

IB Action Projects

We are continuing to take action as an IB school! 3rd grade led a school-wide book donation drive in support of the SDG Quality Education, and our 2nd graders led a toiletry drive in support of the SDG Clean Water and Sanitation. Our 1st graders are taking the lead this month and will plan a school-wide action project connected to Climate Action! We are excited to see how we will take action next! 

Classrooms Going Global

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! If would like to support a classroom,  please fill out this signup genius. This signup genius includes the country partner for each classroom.

A special shout out to the families who have volunteered! Ms. Julia shared about her experiences in Italy and Grandpa Godwin shared childhood stories from Nigeria! Please see pictures below from Mr. Sprigg's class and Ms. Denmark-Lawal's class! 

IB Community Directory Updates

As an IB school, we want the community to be involved in the learning process! This school year, we are launching our first IB community directory. If you work with an organization or have a skill set that you are willing to share with our students, please fill out the survey here. Teachers will gain access to the survey results and will reach out to you if your organization or skills are connected to what they will be teaching in class. We are excited about the field trips, virtual visits, and other learning experiences that will come from this initiative. 

A special thank you to Mrs. Gallagher, a Shepherd parent, for speaking to 4th grade about her experience as a mental health expert! The students learned a lot and were able to make connections to what they have been learning about in the classroom. We appreciate you taking the time to speak to our students. 

A special thank you to Judge Howard, a Shepherd parent! He took time out of his workday to come speak to 4th graders about his experience as a Judge. It was a great connection to their IB Unit!

Marcus' Adventures Continue!

If you would like to take Marcus on an adventure, reach out to your homeroom teacher and then document the journey by uploading 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.

Dr. Brown's Corner

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.   


WAYS TO GIVE BACK
2023-2024 PTO Board Nominations

Do you have a passion for communications and engagement? Are you a strong financial analyst? Are you good with documenting rules and procedures? We are starting to look ahead to our 2023-2024 PTO Board elections and will have some board positions that will be vacated. If you would like to consider applying for one of the many rewarding positions, you can find more information on the responsibilities here or email questions to elections@shepherd-elementary.org. Nominations will close April 14th.More information about elections will be released in the coming months!

Box Tops for Education

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!

Looking for More Ways to Give Back?

The Shepherd Website has a comprehensive list of ways to contribute through donations, volunteering, shopping, and sponsorships. Please visit the website for a complete list of vendors and more information on how you can help enrich the Shepherd experience.

Teacher Appreciation Program (TAP)

Congratulations to Ms. Shepherd and Mr. Wimberly as our March 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.

Time to Support the 2022-2023 Shepherd 180 Fund

Help the Shepherd PTO fund lots of great events, initiatives, and extra circular efforts at Shepherd this year by donating to the 180 Fund. 

It's called the 180 Fund because there are 180 instructional days in the school year and your donation of a dollar a day per student helps the PTO support child care at events, sending students on offsite field trips, funding teacher educational wish lists, putting on school plays and concerts, updating outdoor playground equipment, funding additional academic supports, and hosting school-wide events! This budget really helps us give our students even more unique, meaningful and enriching opportunities each year.

Any contribution is always much appreciated. And as a reminder, your contribution is 100% tax deductible. Thanks for your support - we're looking forward to getting back to BETTER THAN NORMAL!

Many, Many Thanks to our 180 Fund Donors!

Archer Family

Arellano Family

Beridon Family

Biswese Family

Bowie Family

Boykin-Chase Family

Bykowski Family

Carroll Family

Cannon Family

Cartmell-Mayorga Family

Clair Family

Coble Family

Cole-Queen Family

Daly Family

Davies Family

D'Angelo Family

Fagen Family

Faulman-Coffey Family

Fessler Family

Frias Family

Gilberg-Prince Family

Goletiani Family

Goodman Family

Henderson-Parker Family

Homer Family

Howard Family

Jabaily-Messing Family

Joswick Family


Ju Family

Kim Family

Krill Family

Landau Family

Learmonth-Davies Family

Lipton-Marnon Family

Ma-Holdridge Family

Marchand Family

Marrkand Family

McNeil Family

Mokodean Family

Molseed Family

Pariser Family

Prabhu-McDonald Family 

Raglani Family

Rijmen Family

Riley Family

Roberts Family

Romine Family

Sanders Family

Snyder-Johnson Family

St.Clair-Flemming Family

Tivol-Kaufmann Family

Tyson Family

Walejko-Markham Family

Williams Family

Youssef Family 

Zettle Family


Upcoming Events

K/1st Bingo & Bites Night

Spring Break

Enrollment Blitz!

April PTO Meeting

April All School Morning Meeting

Morning Coffee at Drop-Off

Teacher Appreciation Week

Dates

Thursday, April 13th

Mon April 17th - Fri April 21st

Wednesday, April 26th

Wednesday, April 26th

Wednesday, April 28th

Monday, May 1st

Mon May 8th - Fri May 12th

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -