Principal Russell was excited to return back to Shepherd. Thank you for such an amazing and warm welcome. This week has been filled with catch-up meetings, Check-ins and next steps:
- On Monday, Principal Russell attended meetings with senior leadership to assist with transitions.
- On Tuesday, the Design Team members attended the Transcend convening where they met with Transcend leadership and other schools throughout the district. The team began the work on the behavior response chart and other policies as we create the Shepherd Way.
- On Wednesday, we met with Transcend Design Team to discuss next steps around completing our behavior response chart. We also planned future staff sessions that address our focus on language of safety.
- On Thursday, we met with the DCPS Becoming Team to discuss next steps. We will continue the work around creating our staff handbook and ensuring we have clear policies and procedures in place.
- On Thursday, we also met with the PTO, LSAT, and SESSA Leadership team to discuss staffing concerns, clubs, and room placements for afterschool.
- On Friday, there was a townhall meeting for our 4th grade families. Here we discussed the status of the current classroom, staffing updates and homework expectations.
- We also discussed our expectations around lunch and recess. We confirmed for families that silent lunch and taking away recess is not a part of our protocol and it will be addressed if it happens.
Parent Teacher Conference Day is Thursday, October 10, 2024. Teachers will hold conferences for individual families between 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM. Pre-K, CES, and Kindergarten conferences will be held with the homeroom teacher. First - fifth grade classes will be held with that specific grade level team. Please look out for communication from each grade level or homeroom. Please note that no conferences will be held between 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM so that staff may have lunch. (Approved changes to times will be share directly by the homeroom teacher.)
October
IB Learner Profile Attribute of the Month:
OPEN-MINDED
We appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We have tolerance. We consider other points of view and are willing to grow from the experience.
IB Approach to Learning Skill of the Month:
Social Skills
This month, Shepherd Mustangs Celebrate:
- Family History Month
- Indigenous People's Day
- Diwali
IB Evaluation
What is the IB Evaluation?
- It is a reflective process that involves the entire school community
- Assesses whether a school continues to meet the requirements of the IB
- Supports school’s efforts in continuing the delivery of the program
- Results in next steps for future plans and actions
IB Evaluation Date
- IB Visit from February 26th - 27th
Dogs on and around Campus
Please be mindful when bringing dogs on campus. We have had several reports of students and staff stepping in dog waste left in the courtyard and steps . Be sure to pick-up and properly dispose dog waste.
Embassy Adoption
Shepherd ES Mustangs will continue to participate in the Embassy Adoption Program.
This year, our host countries include:
Haiti
Paraguay
Strong Start Morning Meeting
Strong Start is a set of rituals and routines that get students ready to learn by fostering a sense of safety, belonging, community, and self-efficacy. The routines begin as students enter the classroom and continue through morning meeting. Students must be taught the routines at the start of the school year and provided with extensive practice opportunities for Strong Start to run smoothly. When running smoothly, the group portion should not be longer than 15 minutes. The Strong Start morning routine includes the following components, seen in this overview video.
Stay Connected!
Main Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Principal Russell: tyra.russell@k12.dc.gov
AP Coles: shamayne.coles@k12.dc.gov
Ms. Wilson, Main Office: Brenda.wilson@k12.dc.gov
Ms. Offor, MSL: Uchenna.offor@k12.dc.gov
School Phone: (202) 576-6140