The Patriot Post

Dear Shepard Families,

Tomorrow, we are excited to celebrate Kindness Week with our Friendship Parties. The RSVP form closed earlier this week, but if you would still like to visit during the party, you are welcome to do so. Please come to the office with your ID to be checked in and have a badge printed. We appreciate your patience, as the check-in line may be long.

Monday and Tuesday are student holidays as our teachers and staff engage in professional learning. They will be working hard, collaborating with their teams to plan instruction and small groups—all with the goal of ensuring growth for every student.

As always, I want to encourage every student to make reading at home a daily habit. It may seem like a small thing, but the benefits are truly significant. If you’re unsure what your child should be reading, please reach out to your child's teacher or the school—we're happy to help!

Have a great evening, Patriots!

Sincerely,

Christy James

• February 14th- Friendship Parties 1:00-2:00 (1st Grade Only ) 1:30-2:30 (Grades K, 2-5)
• February 14th- PTA Meeting: Nominating Committee Voting
• February 17th and 18th- Student Holiday ( Teacher Work Day)
• February 20th- History Fair (Judges Needed)
• February 28th 6:30- PTA Gala @ Urban Rio (See flyer and info below)
• February 28th: PTA Spirit Night: Adventure Kids Spirit Night 6-12am.
• March 7th: 7:15 am: Muffins with Moms (Please RSVP)
• March 12th: PTA Little Rome Spirit Night
• March 13th: Open House 5:30-6:30; Book Fair 5:30-7:00; General PTA Meeting 5:00-5:30
• March 17th-21st: Spring Break
• March 24th: Professional Learning Day (Student Holiday)

Shepard staff wears shirts with happy faces or positive messages to staff and students on Mondays. We love when our students join us by wearing any happy face shirt or a tshirt with a positive message.

Please take the time to nominate 1 individual/parent and 1 teacher/staff member to be honorary Texas PTA Life Members through the link below. It takes one or two minutes to complete and will only be available until Friday, February 21. Each respondent will be required to sign in to Google and your response can be changed, even after submitting, until the deadline above. The only requirement for receiving this honor is that the recipient has made worthwhile contributions to the wellbeing of children and our community. Contact Emily Butler for any questions at shepardmembership@gmail.com

Please join us for our Second Annual Shepard PTA Gala at the Rooftop at Urban Rio on FRIDAY, February 28 at 6:30 PM.

Tickets can be purchased at a special, discounted price for a limited time by check or with included fees at https://shepardpta.membershiptoolkit.com/gala

Sponsorships are also available, and can be purchased by check or with included fees at https://shepardpta.membershiptoolkit.com/gala

*Please keep in mind that all fees for Donor Box should be paid by purchasers OR a check can be used in lieu of online payment.

The History Fair offers a fun and valuable opportunity to explore history through inquiry and critical thinking. History is essentially the story of our past, and delving deeper into it can lead to new insights and knowledge. Crafting a presentation for the history fair is both exciting and fulfilling!

For the 2024-2025 school year, National History Day® (NHD) encourages students to research topics related to the theme, “Rights and Responsibilities in History.” This theme is quite broad, allowing students to select subjects from family, local, national, or world history.

For more information about participating in history fair, turn in an interest form to your child's teacher.

We are also looking for judges! Please email Mrs. Hungerford at liz.hungerford@pisd.edu if you are interested in being a judge for history fair."

Please remember to use the back drive for carpool drop off.

Bikes and scooters need to be walked to the bike rack to avoid collisions with student walkers. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed on campus. Please use the crosswalks to cross the road, and do not let children pass in front of the back carpool line unattended in the mornings.

Plano ISD students may not receive lunch deliveries from Door Dash, Uber Eats, etc. ordered by their parents or by themselves. Deliveries such as these increase potential safety concerns. Any food delivered through a delivery service will have to be sent back or held in the front office until the end of the school day. Thank you for your understanding.

This month, teachers are talking about kindness. Kindness week will be February 10-14th.

Use the link if you would like to visit during your child's lunch time to eat with them in our "Patriot Patio" area. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4CAFA628A1FDCF8-50923715-2024

Please click on the picture to submit a shout-out to one of our awesome Shepard staff members! Mrs. James will surprise the teachers with their special message at our next assembly!

Thank you for all of your efforts to make sure students are here and on time every day. We've got this!

Braum’s Book Buddy is a reading incentive program for children in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. Each child can earn up to six Braum’s ice cream treats per school year just by reading, and it is free to participate in the program!

The program begins in October and lasts through the school year. Teachers distribute Braum’s Book Buddy booklets to their students and then monitor book reading by placing a Book Buddy sticker in the student’s booklet for each book read. When a student has read six books or 100 minutes a week, the teacher rewards the student with a coupon for a free treat from Braum’s!

Plano ISD’s volunteer management platform, VOLY, is open and ready for 2024-25! Every person who wishes to serve as a volunteer must complete/update a VOLY volunteer application and criminal history search each school year. For more information, please visit our district’s volunteer web page. Library volunteer sign up is at https://tinyurl.com/3ydprayd

• Please remember that students need sneakers on PE days.
• Please remember to avoid coming into the office to pick up students after 2:35 p.m. unless absolutely necessary.

Golden Chick has chosen to support our school by donating 50 cents from every Churros purchase to Shepard!

Our PTA has been so instrumental in creating this unique Shepard experience. By joining, you are not committing to volunteering (although we would love your help) but you are helping support their wonderful experience at Shepard. School spirit wear is purchased through the PTA website.

The PTA is selling grade-level shirts at a fantastic price! These shirts are perfect for students to wear during the Turkey Trot, Field Day, field trips, and more. Visit the PTA website to purchase one for your child, or grab one at the Turkey Trot Festival on November 8th. The colors will remain consistent over the years, making them great for passing down to siblings as they continue their journey at Shepard! The yellow bar below will take you to the link!