Shepherd Elementary News
Tuesday Scoop!
September 17, 2008
Dear Parents:
The academic year began smoothly and now we are in the business of improving our students' academic achievement. This process began last week with an analysis of all students' 2008 DC-CAS (Comprehensive Assessment System) test results, which were obtained during the summer for grades 3rd through 6th. Last week we also administered the first of five knowledge/skill assessment tests that are needed to identify students' readiness for this year's curriculum. The results will be available soon.
The academic year began smoothly and now we are in the business of improving our students' academic achievement. This process began last week with an analysis of all students' 2008 DC-CAS (Comprehensive Assessment System) test results, which were obtained during the summer for grades 3rd through 6th. Last week we also administered the first of five knowledge/skill assessment tests that are needed to identify students' readiness for this year's curriculum. The results will be available soon.
The good news from last year's CAS testing was that Shepherd met the requirements for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in reading and mathematics. An area of serious concern, however, was that 30% of our students did not make AYP; only 5% are at the advanced level, and 65% were at the C minus-equivalent level. Last year's passing grade was 62% correct on the test. This year's passing grade on the test is 82%. This means that we must gear up and commit to working on improving students' overall scores by at least twenty percentage points in reading and mathematics.
I have discussed this issue with the teachers, the PTA and the Local School Restructuring Team (LSRT), so I want to share with you the central elements of our strategy for the 2008-2009 academic year:
1) I recommended and the PTA agreed to hire a part time mathematics tutor, Ms. Margaret Hayes-Noel, who began working with individual and small groups of students last week. If you receive an invitation for your child for tutoring that begins at 8am, please do not decline. This tutoring is essential to boosting our students' academic achievement in mathematics.
2) If your child received a proficient or below mark in last year's DC-CAS, I highly recommend that you arrange for private tutoring for both mathematics and reading. Please make every effort to arrange tutoring for two hours each week, beginning October 1, 2008, and continuing until mid-April 2009. Each child will receive specific information regarding what needs to be taught or emphasized during these tutoring sessions.
3) During next week's back to school night (see below), your classroom teacher will provide you with an analysis of the results - from the start-of-year testing conducted last week - for students in Grade 3 through Grade 6. This will further clarify the areas on which students in Grades 3-6 will need to focus this year.
4) Our classroom instruction mirrors DCPS curriculum standards, and a complete accountability system has been put in place to ensure that teachers are teaching the standards;
5) I have instituted a learning environment that is conducive to high academic achievement. For example, I have eliminated (except for emergencies) the broadcasting of public announcements into the classrooms during instruction periods.
Our goal is to make Shepherd the number one school in D.C. in terms of academic achievement rates. It is my expectation that our students - with the support of their teachers and their parents - will rise to the challenge. We are all committed to this goal, and we can accomplish it.
2) If your child received a proficient or below mark in last year's DC-CAS, I highly recommend that you arrange for private tutoring for both mathematics and reading. Please make every effort to arrange tutoring for two hours each week, beginning October 1, 2008, and continuing until mid-April 2009. Each child will receive specific information regarding what needs to be taught or emphasized during these tutoring sessions.
3) During next week's back to school night (see below), your classroom teacher will provide you with an analysis of the results - from the start-of-year testing conducted last week - for students in Grade 3 through Grade 6. This will further clarify the areas on which students in Grades 3-6 will need to focus this year.
4) Our classroom instruction mirrors DCPS curriculum standards, and a complete accountability system has been put in place to ensure that teachers are teaching the standards;
5) I have instituted a learning environment that is conducive to high academic achievement. For example, I have eliminated (except for emergencies) the broadcasting of public announcements into the classrooms during instruction periods.
Our goal is to make Shepherd the number one school in D.C. in terms of academic achievement rates. It is my expectation that our students - with the support of their teachers and their parents - will rise to the challenge. We are all committed to this goal, and we can accomplish it.
I hope that you will support this goal and vision for the school by providing your children with the tutoring and other support that they might need. Please also support the PTA through payment of membership dues and Family Enrichment Fee contributions, as the PTA draws on these funds to pay for the math tutor and other important staffing for the school.
Please put on your calendar the second back to school night, which will take place Thursday, September 25th starting at 6pm. Parents will first meet with their children's teachers in their classrooms. They will be presented with teachers' expectations for the year, and the results of the most recent DCPS assessment (for grades 3rd through 6th). Starting at 7pm, parents are welcome to meet with the principal in the auditorium.
We look forward to an excellent year! ~ Dr. Galeet BenZion
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PTA News:
COME ONE, COME ALL! IT'S THE 1st PTA MEETING OF THE YEAR Tomorrow Wednesday, September 17, 6:45 p.m. School starts on time; so do PTA meetings! Child care will be available during the meeting. Pizza slices and drinks, at $1 each, will be available for the children in the child care room. For the grown-ups, pizza and beverages will be provided (free!) in the auditorium. At the meeting, you'll be able to join the PTA, sign up for a PTA committee or task force, and/or pay the PTA Family Enrichment Fee. If you haven't picked up your family's green Shepherd Elementary Folder, we'll have extras at the meeting. Bonus: We'll repeat the used uniform sale (no item more than $3) and collect your donations of clean, washed, and folded uniform clothing. The meeting agenda includes:
It's a lot to pack in, so come early, find a seat, grab some pizza and a drink, and be part of the action!
And remember, you must be a PTA member to vote at the meetings.
Interested in joining the PTA Email Listserv?
Just send an email to “Shepherd_Elementary_PTA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com” with your name, your child’s name and teacher. Alternatively, you can visit www.groups.yahoo.com and search for “Shepherd_Elementary_PTA” to sign up. |
Freebie Fundraiser Corner Box Tops Update: Congratulations on a job well done! We collected over $100 in Box Tops during the Summer Box Tops Collection Contest. Twenty nine students and staff, representing 12 classes, submitted Box Tops. Several classes turned in quite a few Box Tops. However, the class that submitted the most Box Tops was Mrs. Crockett’s class with 213 Box Tops. For their hard work, Mrs. Crockett’s’ class received a yummy popsicle treat this past Friday. In addition, each Shepherd student who submitted Box Tops received a prize! Way to go, Shepherd!!! Free Study Skills Workshop Saturday
There will be a free study skills workshop at 4 p.m. Saturday sponsored by Score! Educational Centers at the organization's Columbia Heights location, 3233 14th St. NW in Columbia Heights. Register to get ready for the long school year ahead of us. For details call 202-232-3437, or go to the Web at www.scorelearning.com.
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Greetings from the art room!
We have been busy with all students learning art room routines and taking art pre-tests for the school year. Those students who have finished the tests are starting work on self portraits. This week we are just practicing our sketch techniques but next week we get to the real work of making a portrait that resembles the face we see in our mirrors - it is lots of fun. Pre-K and K students are practicing the general drawing techniques of gripping tools, mark-making, creating lines and shapes, and designing abstract art. All of us gaze at images of the masterworks of great artists as we proceed. As this is Hispanic-American month we will pay special, but not exclusive, attention to artists of those cultures, like Kahlo, Rivera, Miro', Picasso, Goya and Velasquez. Many, many thanks to all the families who remembered to send tissues, hand sanitizer and coffee containers. Special thanks to the person who donated a plastic coffee container. Bring more, I love them. Have an artful week. ~ Ms. Michaud
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| Tuesday Afternoon Help? Have you ever held a stapler? Pushed the Copy button on a photocopier? Then you’re just who we need! We need help photocopying and assembling The Scoop on Tuesday afternoons from 2 to 3 pm. Ideally, we’d have enough parents that this would be a once per month commitment. Contact us at tuesdayscoop@gmail.com if you can help. |
It's the Rack for You!
If you need extra copies of the Tuesday Scoop, look for them in the rack outside the main office. Since the start of the school year, the rack is now filled with helpful publications and pamphlets, including Shepherd's own "Freebie Fundraising" newsletter, applications for D.C. Public School volunteers (with instructions from start to finish for the process) copies of Washington Family magazine and Scholastic Parent & Child magazine, and notices about workshops and other special events for students, parents, or both.
The Good Shepherd, by Justin Hinnant, Grade 5
We are three weeks into the school year and I really like Shepherd Elementary School. I like Shepherd because the teachers and most of the students are nice. I have been a student here for 2 years and three weeks. I am in Mr. Leonard’s 5th grade class this year and so far we are learning a lot of science and I love science! We have great science teachers at Shepherd. Last year, Mr. King won the NOAA Environmental Hero Award.
Our school also has a lot of activities. There are a few festivals throughout the year and the Fall Fest is coming up soon. We would love to see all our neighbors come out and attend on September 27, 2008. At the Fall Fest we will have funnel cake, face painting, rides including a Surf Machine (that sounds interesting), Football Toss and Jurassic Park Adventure. For the little kids we will have a Dora the Explorer moon bounce. To satisfy your appetite, you can get a hotdog, pizza, popcorn or candy from our concession stand.
Other events Shepherd students and the community are looking forward to are Jazz Night, the Spring Auction and student dances and concerts. For athletics, the school has basketball and track teams. Toward the end of the year we have Field Day and there are contests for classes vs. classes. The past few years our school has participated in the annual spelling and geography bees.
This year we have a new principal, Dr. Galeet BenZion. She has started a dance club that begins 10 minutes after lunch starts.
Shepherd is a great school because you can get a great education. And the teachers are great. Over the course of the school year I will profile some of our outstanding teachers.
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Notes from around school:
* Sell some gifts, win a prize! Reader's Digest Fundraiser underway. Fundraising season is in full swing with an annual sweet deal that pays for school activities and gives top-sellers a chance to wrap up some cool prizes, and Shepherd Elementary is counting on your support again! Historically, parents have raised an average $200 per household in sales for the fundraiser that generally nets about $10,000, which is used to fund school activities and programs. And it can pay off for the top sellers, too: The family that brings in the most in sales wins a fully loaded computer. Households that sell $200 or more in products earn a chance to win a Sony PlayStation Portable System, and families that sell more than $100 or more get a chance at educational prizes. The top-selling class will win a pizza party or a healthy lunch party. (One big selling point: Catalogue items make perfect gifts for the winter holidays and arrive before Thanksgiving!) Order forms and checks are due Wednesday, October 1, so mark the date and rack up those sales. If you have any questions, contact Jack Marrkand, volunteer parent coordinator for this fundraiser, at 202-246-1448 or jmarrkand@pfd.org. Some things to remember.
- Do not let students sell door to door. - Include one check or money order (No CASH) for the entire amount collected, payable to "SHEPHERD PTA" - Keep the legible bottom yellow copy of your order sheet in a safe place for your records. * Star Achievers provide care when you need it
For parents whose schedules and commutes require an early start or late end to the workday, Shepherd Elementary has a perfect before care/after program that offers convenience and peace of mind for grown-ups and fun educational activities for kids. The Star Achievers Program, open 7:30-8:30 a.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m. weekdays (except for holidays, officials school closings and early dismissals), provides a well-structured, stimulating and nurturing environment. Shepherd students in pre-K through the sixth grade can complete homework, compete in athletics and connect with the community. They can learn about computers; participate in sports such as swimming, soccer, baseball and martial arts; join the Chess Club; or show their creative side through dance, drama, music and fine arts. They'll even go on field trips to Washington, D.C.-area attractions. Daily rates are $20 per day per child up to two days a week. Children enrolled for three or more days per week pay the monthly fee of $175 per child for the afternoon session or $200 for morning and afternoon. Families with two children pay $290 for the afternoon session or $335 for the morning and afternoon. And families with three children pay $395 for the afternoon session and $44o for the morning and afternoon. Discounts are available for advance payments, and other discounts may be available to families that meet income requirements.
For more information, contact Mr. Huff (program coordinator), or Mrs. Chambliss or Mr. Leonard (assistant coordinators) through the school office at 202-576-6140, or the after care office at 202-576-5278.
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