Monday:
- We held our 3rd meeting with community and staff members to discuss the development of the Matrix. We are excited to continue this work with families. This week members from the DCPS Becoming Team joined our sessions to support.
Tuesday:
- We welcomed Ms. Upshur to the Shepherd Family! Ms. Upshur is working with Ms. Awunyo-Akaba in Pre-K 3.
Wednesday:
- School leadership met with the "Becoming" Leadership Team. In this meeting we discussed next steps for the handbook and matrix work. We also discussed our next upcoming walkthrough.
Thursday:
- Welcome to Ms. McKinley as she has started with us in 4th grade. Ms. McKinley and Ms. Bisle will be doing some team teaching as we transition her into the 4th grade ELA role and Ms. Bisle transfers back to her MLL role.
- We hosted our monthly Open House. During this session we welcomed about eight (8) families. Families were mostly interested in Pre-K and kindergarten.
Our Shepherd Mustangs have been hard at work preparing for our Winter Concert. We invite you both concerts this week.
PreK & CES
Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2024
Time: 9:30 AM
Location: Shepherd ES Multipurpose Room
Doors Open at 9:20 AM
Students should arrive on time for the regular school day.
Kindergarten - Fifth Grade
Date: Thursday, December 12, 2024
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: The University of the District of Columbia (UDC)
Doors Open at 5:00 PM
Students MUST ARRIVE by 5:15 PM.
As the weather continues to get colder, we want to remind you to ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for outdoor recess. Please make sure that your child wears warm clothing, including a jacket/coat, socks, hat, gloves, and scarf, as they will be outside during recess unless the temperature or conditions make it unsafe.
This week we:
- Our candidate for the 1st grade position declined the offer. We will continue to look for a new candidate.
- We welcomed our new ECE aide and our new 4th grade ELA Teacher.
- Our reprogramming was approved and we now have an additional position for a SPED Inclusion teacher
Remaining Vacancies:
- 1st Grade teacher
- Special Education Inclusion teacher
- 1 Special Education aide
- Kindergarten Aide
Interview Updates
- 1 scheduled for a SPED Inclusion teacher.
Shepherd Elementary School Fall Student Portraits & Staff Portraits are now online for viewing and ordering! You should have received an email from Freed Photography with your student's private gallery information (it may have gone to spam). If you have not received this, please contact them at support@freedphoto.com or call 301.652.5452.
Make-ups will be on December 10th.
SY 24-25 Impact Aid Survey (11/1-12/22)
The SY 24-25 Impact Aid Survey went live on Friday, November 1. Every year, DCPS asks families to complete this survey to generate additional federal funds. This year’s survey will be fully electronic using the Seamless platform and will be open through Sunday, December 22. Please complete one survey per child, not per household, in their preferred language. The electronic surveys and our FAQ document can be found on the Impact Aid webpage.
DCPS Calendar Survey
Strong Start
Our strong start sessions will include all components of our daily strong start. Our strong start meetings will fall on a rolling schedule.
Dates
Friday, December 20th
Thursday, January 30th
Wednesday, February 19th
Monday, March 10th
Thursday, April 10th
Friday, May 30th
Monday, June 2nd
As we continue to work on creating our Mustang Playbook we have set our focus on the Mustang Matrix. The matrix includes the values Respect, Integrity, Discipline, Effort (R.I.D.E.). Using these values we will determine expectations throughout the school. We will set procedures on how to R.I.D.E. around common places while in school (hallways, bathrooms, cafeteria, classrooms etc..)
We are looking for 3-4 Parents to work with admin and a group of teachers to draft our school matrix. This group will meet on Mondays 11/18, 11/25, 12/2, 12/9, 12/16 from 3:35-4:30 in person. If you would like to support with this work, please reach out to admin.
November
IB Learner Profile Attribute of the Month:
Knowledgeable
We develop and use our understandings by exploring a variety of subjects. We explore local and global issues and ideas.
IB Approach to Learning Skill of the Month:
Thinking Skills: This includes critical-thinking, creative-thinking, transfer skills, reflection/metacognitive skills
This month, Shepherd Mustangs Celebrate:
- American Indian and Alaskan Native Heritage Month
- International Education Week
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
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