We hope each of you had a wonderful winter break enjoying your time with family. 

Welcome Mr. Smith

Mr. Roman Smith is a Mary Jane Patterson (MJP) fellow who will be completing his second semester residency at Shepherd. The MJP Fellowship prepares district employees to be future DCPS principals.  As you may recall, Ms. Hunter (Assistant Principal) started with us last year as a Fellow and Ms. Berry-Young worked with us at the beginning of the 2014-2015 SY.  She is now at Stoddard Elementary completing her second semester residency.  We are excited to have Mr. Smith on board and I know he is looking forward to meeting and working with you. 

Staffing Updates
 

Inclement Weather

 Science Fair

 Our annual Science Fair for 3rd through 5th grade will be held on January 26^th and 27^th.  Projects are due no later than the 21st.  Display boards are on sale in the main office for $5.00. Please contact your child's teacher or Ms. Robin George (robin.george@dc.gov) with questions.

Have a great week!

Jamie Miles

Happy New Year to All Star Achievers!

We thank you for making 2014 a success and look forward to what 2015 will bring.

We are changing over to a new calendar and some different activities at the end of January, so watch your email and The Mustang for details.

On January 20th, our PS3 and PRE K students will give a special performance of a fairy tale.  All  children will have a part in the play and there are costumes.  If you are available, please stop by room 111 from 3:30 to 4:30 pm for a photo-op!

Other reminders . . .

School Closings and Delayed Openings: We are open for both before and aftercare if the building is open. If DCPS closes, school we are closed.  If DCPS or Ms. Miles closes the building for any reason during the school day, we will be closed and you will be informed of the closure by the school.  We do not send out separate closure announcements. When school is delayed opening in the morning there is NO BEFORE CARE. Delayed opening means the building would be closed between 7:30 and 8:30 am so we could not operate.  If school opens late, we WILL be open for aftercare. 

Outside Play: We go outside if it is above freezing just as children do during the school day for recess.  PLEASE dress your child for outdoor play and understand it takes them a while at the end of the day to gather all those cold weather items, so give us some extra time to meet you at the front desk.

Tax Time: If you would like a 2014 tuition receipt for tax purposes you must request one by emailing sesstarachievers@gmail.com and wait up to one week for a reply.  Our FEIN number is 46-0754979.  Since most families do not request one, we do not supply them automatically.

Happy 2015!   

Claire Riley 

Program Director

Happy New Year Shepherd Mustangs!  

Did you like your Winter Break?  Well, I will tell you about some students' winter break. Sarah, a third grader, went to Alabama and she got a lot of Christmas presents.  I went to Kentucky with my sister and we got a lot of presents. We got to visit our family members who live in Kentucky.  We thought they had great Christmas decorations.  On New Year's Day, I went on the Mayor's 5K run and my friend Lee was there too but I didn't see him.  My friends Brianna and Jonathan got a laptop for Christmas.  I think that is cool.  Some students did homework and went to the movies during the Winter Break.  Some of my friends got a snap watch which shows the time when you snap your fingers.  

This is Kennedy Mack your Student Reporter 

Our library program is geared up and going. Students are checking out books, learning library skills, and learning all about IB learner profiles and attitudes. 

A friendly reminder to check around your house for any overdue library books. Ms. Tiffany will be sending home overdue notices to families. If the books have been lost, you will need to pay for it otherwise your child will not be able to check out books for the remainder of the school year. Thanks for your understanding.