Dear Shepard Families:
It is officially May, and that feels strange to say! I'm not sure how many Justin Timberlake memes you saw about the turn from April to May; I know I saw several. Still, it is cool to see how excited people get as we approach the warmer months and summer ahead. Students have been busy at Shepard creating videos for CMA, playing Jeopardy in 6th-grade ELA, and doing hands-on activities and labs in science classes. We even saw 8th-grade students rolling around the hallways in chairs during science which students in sixth and seventh grade always look forward to after navigating a bunch of students in chairs rolling from station to station in the hallway. We have many more wonderful learning experiences to come!
In this edition, you will find:
New Information:
- MAP Testing Continues Next Week on Tuesday
- Music Assembly on Wednesday
- Culture Fair Volunteers
- Staff Appreciation Week
- Summer Volunteers at Deerfield Public Library
Sincerely,
Rob Wegley, Principal
Cathy Van Treese, Associate Principal
Ginger Logemann, Director for Student Services
We will have our last MAP testing session Tuesday, May 6th (Math). Thankfully for our students—and parents/teachers alike—these are our last standardized tests of the school year! We will test in the mornings for 6th and 7th grade. 8th-grade students do not take the spring MAP test and will be running a normal schedule.
We will be hosting our culture fair on Friday, May 16th, and we are in need of parent volunteers to help us with transitions and helping the fair to run smoothly! We have our 7th-grade students experiencing the fair from 8:05 - 9:05am, 6th from 9:10 - 10:10am, and 8th from 10:14 - 11:14am. We would love it if people can help for all three, but we will also be happy to see folks who can sign up for one of those shifts.
If you are available and interested, please contact Jamie Mall at jmall@dps109.org
Next week is teacher/staff appreciation week! We are so grateful to have the teachers and staff we do at Shepard. They consistently put kids' needs first, support learning for all of our students, and they care about our community deeply. We are so thankful for the Shepard staff! If you have the time, it always makes teachers and staff's day when they receive positive notes/emails of appreciation. Thank you for all you do, too!
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.