Dear Shepard Families:
First and foremost, we had a lot of great learning going on at Shepard this week. From flight simulator success in STEM to interactive stations about different forms of government in social studies and beyond, we always enjoy going to classrooms and hearing students excitedly discuss their ideas and learning. Secondly, we got to collectively navigate a snafu with parent-teacher conference sign ups. Thank you for your patience and partnership as we navigated the technical difficulties. When we debriefed on the day as a front office team yesterday, the overwhelming theme was just how kind every phone call and email we received was. We often remark how lucky we feel to serve the students we do. We also want to reiterate how glad we are to have you as parents and guardians. Thank you.
In this edition, you will find:
New Information:
- Anxious Generation Parent Event Recap
- Inclusivity in the Lunchroom
- Amber McBride Author Visit (with Book Purchase Extension)
- First Fridays Open Mic
- Shepard Baking Club Guest Baker Opportunities
- Day of School Added on Monday, March 3rd, 2025
- Request from the Kipling PTSO for Pumpkinfest
- Spartan Shout Outs and Notes Home
- Young Adult Literature Permission Form for 6th and 7th Grade
- Updated 8th-Grade Parent/Guardian Consent to Share Information with DHS
- 8th-Grade Yearbook Flashback Page
- Arrival and Dismissal Lanes Reminder and Request
- Lockers, Locks, and Personal Responsibilities
- Yearbooks
- Lunch Information
- Medication and Attendance
- PTSO Information
Sincerely,
Rob Wegley, Principal
Cathy Van Treese, Associate Principal
Ginger Logemann, Coordinator for Student Services
On Wednesday evening, several parents from both Shepard and Caruso came together for a community conversation on the foundations Jonathan Haidt lays out in his book, The Anxious Generation:
No smartphones before high school
No social media before 16
Phone-free schools
Far more unsupervised play and childhood independence
Those who attended engaged in conversations about anxiety, social media, and how we support children in navigating all that comes with, well, being this age. Some really cool conversations happened that resulted in some key community and individual takeaways, and we want to share the themes and some examples here.
Themes:
1. Setting Boundaries Around Phone Usage
Parents talked about no phones in the bedroom, no phones at meals, taking phones at 7:00 pm or another set time, phone-free car rides and social plans, and setting limits and parental controls on phones. They also discussed alternatives to smart devices like flip phones or, as you could describe the first phone I ever had, "brick" phones.
2. Modeling Healthy Behavior as Parents
Parents discussed getting off our own phones, modeling phone-free time and behavior, and intentional disconnection.
3. Family Routines and Activities
Parents discussed having no-device times set as a family and creating more opportunities for family reading and play.
4. Encouraging Freedom and Resilience
Parents discussed letting kids make mistakes and experience conflict to learn how to handle it, encouraging physical adventure and outdoor play, and allowing boredom. They also discussed anti-fragility and helping children focus on their locus of control.
5. Fostering Community Support and Shared Guidelines
Parents discussed exploring a community-wide pledge for phone/social media limits and coordinating phone-free play and social engagements.
Of course, as you know, parenting does not have a one-size-fits-all option. Still, it was powerful to hear parents engage together and discuss potential solutions, tips, and supports as a whole community. If you would like to be engaged in further community conversation and/or get involved with other interested parents in continuing the conversation and commitment as a community, please feel free to reach out to me.
Lunch is often a time for middle-school students that can come with great excitement or great anxiety. It provides a unique insight into adolescent development for us as adults—both as parents and as school staff. When we think about how we support our children, there is—of course—a balance between the fundamental need to belong and the need for our young people to set appropriate boundaries for themselves. Here is what we are seeing: we have students who are having a difficult time feeling that sense of belonging, and we have students who are having a difficult time extending a welcoming hand to those who may need it.
When we look at situations like this through a school lens, one way we examine it through skills that our students have or still need help developing. At school we are going to work on encouragement for students to be more inclusive as a whole and help students develop the skills to look out for one another and showcase that empathy that is such a critical skill students are learning at this age. Our ask at home is to check in with your child and have open conversations about the importance of kindness and empathy. Ask them about their friendships, lunchroom experiences, and whether they see any classmates who might need a welcoming hand. These discussions can help reinforce the message that every student at Shepard deserves to feel valued and included. We will continue them at school, too!
Together, with your continued partnership, we can foster a school environment where every child feels that crucial sense of belonging. Thank you for your ongoing support in nurturing a compassionate and inclusive community. We truly appreciate your commitment to helping all students thrive.
The Shepard Learning Commons is excited to welcome author Amber McBride to our school on Wednesday, October 2nd. All 8th grade students will attend the book presentation in our library that afternoon, and interested 6th and 7th grade students are also welcome to attend. (Those in 6th and 7th grades should check their e-mail to RSVP to the event by the end of the school day on Monday, September 30.) During her visit, Ms. McBride will talk with students about her career as an author and discuss her new book, Onyx & Beyond. Students will have the opportunity to purchase a copy of Onyx & Beyond and have their book personalized and autographed by the author. These books also make great gifts! To order an autographed, personalized copy of Onyx & Beyond, please print this form and submit your completed form and payment to Dr. Trudeau in the Learning Commons by Monday, September 30. (Students may also pick up printed copies of this form from their ELA teacher or the Learning Commons.) If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Trudeau at atrudeau@dps109.org.
We're thrilled to announce the start of our First Fridays Open Mic for the 2024-2025 school year, kicking off on Friday, October 4! This fun, school-wide talent show takes place in the Learning Commons during grade-level lunch periods and is a great opportunity for students to showcase their talents—whether it's singing, dancing, performing magic tricks, reciting poetry, or sharing anything else they would like to showcase. It's all about being yourself in a positive and supportive environment! To perform, students should scan the QR code on the First Fridays posters around the school to sign up before Wednesday, October 2. Please encourage your child to showcase their talent as a performer or attend as a positive audience member. For more information, feel free to contact Ms. Biasiello or Dr. Trudeau. We can’t wait to see our Spartans' amazing talent on display!
Kipling Elementary's Pumpkinfest Needs You! We are looking for volunteers to work one or two 30 minute shifts to help run our carnival games. This would involve helping the elementary age kids to play the game you are running and then handing them a prize once the game is completed. Our event takes place Saturday October 5th from 11:30am-3pm at Kipling Elementary. If interested, please click on the sign up genius link below to sign up. If a student is interested, please make sure to mark Shepard Student in the comments section. If you have any questions regarding volunteering, please reach out to Isabel Garza. We hope to see you there! Here is the link to sign up!
As we continue through the year, we are doing our best to recognize and celebrate positive behaviors and interactions at Shepard. Students have started receiving Spartan Shout Outs from staff members to celebrate how awesome they are. Students bring those to the office to add their name to our Principal's 200 Club. We will be reaching out when your child receives a shout out!
Middle school is a complex time where children are still learning expected behaviors, and it is developmentally appropriate to slip up sometimes. Of course, you will hear from us in these circumstances as well so we can collectively partner together to support our students! We appreciate your support and partnership.
All books in Shepard's library collection have literary merit and are carefully selected with the help of reviews from School Library Journal and Booklist, but some are labeled Young Adult (YA) and are intended for grades 8 and up due to more mature content. While we encourage all students to read various sorts of materials, we prefer that you as the parent(s)/guardian(s) determine what is appropriate for your child. For this reason, we ask that you sign this form should you decide to grant permission for your child to read books from the YA section in both 6th and 7th grades. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Shepard's library information specialist, Dr. Andrea Trudeau at atrudeau@dps109.org.
Students are doing a nice job using their lockers during the school day. Sometimes, though, students are leaving locks unlocked or not putting a lock on their locker. To protect your child's materials and personal items, please reinforce the need to use a lock! Students are responsible for their own materials and items during the school day, and we want to help our students continue to learn that crucial skill of personal responsibility.
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.