Spartan Scoop 2/28/25

It is difficult to believe that it is about to be March. As we get ready to turn the calendar, we still have boys volleyball and wrestling in full swing, track and field around the corner, and a variety of clubs continuing to run and getting ready to start back up (Hello, Model UN take two!). We are grateful for our student body continuing to find and explore opportunities to participate inside and outside of school in their passions, new activities, and more. Here is to the upcoming spring and the opportunities it will bring!

In this edition, you will find:

New Information:

• Calendar Reminder: We Are In Session Monday, March 3rd
• Panorama Survey
• Consortium for Interdistrict Collaboration Volunteer Opportunity Reminder
• Bernie's Book Bank Donations
• Culture Fair Sign Ups for May 16th
• Opening and Holding Open Doors

Sincerely,

Rob Wegley, Principal

Cathy Van Treese, Associate Principal

Ginger Logemann, Director for Student Services

March 3 - Boys Volleyball @ Central (Order: 8/7) - Away at Central - 4:30 - 6:30 pm

March 4 -Boys Volleyball @ Wilmette (Order: 7/8) - Away at Wilmette - 4:30 - 6:30 pm

March 7 - Boys Volleyball vs. Wood Oaksy (Order: 8/7) - Home at Shepard - 4:30 - 6:30 pm

March 8 - Sectional Wrestling Meet

March 13 and 14 - Shrek Jr. Musical Performances - 7:30 pm

March 17 - 20 - Shepard Book Fair

March 20 and 21 - Parent/Teacher Conferences

Due to an emergency day used in August of this school year, we are using Monday, March 3rd as an emergency make-up day.

Again this year, parents/guardians across Illinois have an opportunity to participate in the annual survey to provide feedback about the schools their children attend. District 109 is fortunate to be able to use the Panorama platform for this survey, which is the same used for students. Ultimately, the family survey is designed for you to share your thoughts on the home-school partnership and other important elements of school effectiveness. Your responses help guide our improvement.

To take the survey, please visit https://surveys.panoramaed.com/deerfieldil/1589963429/surveys and select your child’s school. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and will close March 21st.

If you have children in multiple schools, we encourage you to provide feedback on both schools. Please know that your identity and responses are confidential and will not be connected to you or your child. Thank you in advance for taking the time to give us this important feedback.

Parents/Guardians,

District 109 participates in a Consortium for Interdistrict Collaboration (CIC). The CIC is a group of educators from neighboring North Shore districts who discuss and explore instructional practices that make districts high-performing. As part of their work, they visit one another’s schools to observe, benchmark practices, celebrate successes, and offer recommendations for continuous improvement.

A visiting team will be in District 109 March 12-14, and we are looking for 15 parents/guardians to participate in a 40-minute focus group at Shepard on Wednesday, March 12th at 1:30 pm. Any information provided in the focus group would not be associated with an individual name. It would simply help the team identify trends across our school settings.

If interested, please complete this 1 minute form no later than Wednesday, February 26th. If more than 15 parents/guardians express interest, we will select by lottery. A confirmation of your selection will be sent no later than Wednesday, March 5th. Thanks in advance for considering. We are really proud of our school and can’t wait to share it with other educators!

As a reminder, we will be holding a Culture Fair on Friday, May 16, 2025 at Shepard Middle School.

Just in case you forgot to sign up, we are looking for participants from all over Deerfield or connected members of Deerfield families to lead interactive sessions so students can experience something significant to your cultural or religious background.

Due to the District’s allergy policy, food consumption cannot be part of this event. However, a recipe or food demonstration would be fine (i.e. a tea ceremony).

Presenters would be at Shepard for approximately 3 hours. Presenters will be asked to plan a 10-15 minute long experience which would repeat for all three grade levels.

Please complete this form for you or any family members interested in taking part in this event.

Please reach out to any of the following Culture Fair Committee members below with any questions. Thank you for your continued support.

Warm regards,

Matthew Brown, Kelly Hunzinger, David Komie, Jamie Mall, and Amanda Schatz

Shepard Culture Fair Committee

SRO Maldonado has asked principals to share a message regarding holding doors open for others at school. While a thoughtful act, we still care very deeply for not allowing strangers to enter our schools without proper vetting. If you are entering Shepard, please feel free to say that we need everyone to ring the bell so we can utilize our process. Thank you!

I firmly believe that with colder weather comes thinner patience—at least in my own experience. We're finding that to be the case with drop off and pick up, and I am calling on all families to ensure adherence to the guidelines we have communicated throughout the school year thus far. We continue to see cars cutting through and waiting in the parking lot at both pick up and drop off, we have started to see cars blocking crosswalks and intersections, causing students to walk around them in the street, and we have seen cars moving very quickly around other cars to get to a preferred spot as well as make three-point turns as students are walking around them.

We, as well as the Deerfield Police Department, have received several parent and neighbor complaints as of late—justifiably so. We are all in this together, and we need to approach arrival and dismissal as such. When we are aligned as a school community, we're all better because of it. Here are some key reminders and expectations:

We understand that drop off can be a slow process as it gets closer to the start of school. For drop off:

• Leave more time in the morning and aim to arrive at Shepard prior to 7:45 am. We all can move slower in the cold, so leaving some room can help make it so there is not as much of a rush and help you to not have to sit in the longer line as the start of school approaches.
• Drop off students anywhere between the two arrival signs and then exit the line to help things move smoother.
• Do not cut through the parking lot.

For pick up:

• Wait for the buses to depart before pulling in. They will leave by 3:07 or 3:08 every single day. We ask for your patience during that time. Feel free to come a little bit later so you are not waiting in line for the buses to depart.
• Use appropriate speed at all times.
• Do not cut through or wait in the parking lot. Do not block intersections or crosswalks.

In all situations, stay aware of your surroundings and of the children around. Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued partnership.

Just to put it on your radar! We will be hosting our book fair from March 17th - March 20th. More information will come soon!

On Tuesday, March 4th, the DPS 109 instrumental music program will hold its annual performance fundraiser at Potbelly! All Shepard families are invited to stop by for dinner between 4:00 - 7:30 PM to catch a performance by musicians in our band and orchestra programs. A portion of the proceeds will go towards supporting these programs and we hope to see you there!

Yearbooks can be purchased for $35. Details for purchasing are below!

Below is the link to purchase a yearbook at Yearbookforever.com. Parents should enter Alan B. Shepard Middle School (Deerfield, IL, not Texas)!

yearbookforever.com

As we strive to keep you informed about important events and updates at Shepard Middle School, we are excited to use the Remind app again as a valuable tool to strengthen our school-family partnership. Through this app, you will receive announcements from our Student Council (also known as StuCo), led by Mrs. Greenberg. These announcements will not only keep you informed about spirit days, fundraisers, and other important events throughout the school year but will also actively involve your child in the exciting activities shaping our school community.

To sign up, please follow the directions below. Check out this video if you would like step-by-step instructions.If you require any assistance setting up the app, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Greenberg.

Our amazing PTSO shared information on this in their welcome back letter, too, but we wanted to add a reminder that you can purchase school lunches through Lunch Solutions in advance! Ordering opened Tuesday, August 6th. Ordering for the following week closes at 10:00 am on THURSDAY each week. For information and ordering, please visit http://ptgms.com/lunchsolutions/shepard.

Medication

Please do not send any medication, over-the-counter pain pills (Tylenol/Advil/aspirin), or cough drops with your students. State law prohibits students from taking medication at school outside of the nurse's office with a doctor's note on file. We will confiscate any medications as listed above found outside of the nurse's office.

Attendance

If your student will not be in school, please report the absence to the health office by phone—(847) 948-0620 x5103 or email (shepardattendance@dps109.org) before 8:00 am. If you do not contact our school nurse by this time, she will contact you at home or at work to ascertain your child’s whereabouts. Children must be fever free for 24 hours before returning to school. Students will only be dismissed to a parent/legal guardian or to emergency contacts designated in Family Access.

Student Tardiness to School

Students who arrive late are greatly disadvantaged because they miss starting the day with their peers and miss out on the instruction given at the beginning of class. This means that they are often unsettled and confused about tasks, resulting in reduced achievement, regardless of academic ability. It is also very important that students establish good routines and habits in preparation for the rest of their lives. Punctuality is a life skill that is important to develop.

Tardiness to school will be unexcused even if a family member brings the student(s) to school. Oversleeping, missing the bus, car/traffic problems, etc. are all unexcused. Tardies are excusable under the following circumstances: personal illness of student, serious illness or death in the family, a doctor/dentist/professional appointment (a note or phone call from a parent or a professional), family emergencies, and religious holidays.

School begins promptly at 8:00 am. Students are expected to be in class ready to learn by 8:00 am.

Student Tardies to Class

Students are expected to be in class, in their seats, ready to learn at the start of class. Students who are not are subject to school discipline.