Spartan Scoop 3/20/25

Conferences are here and spring break is just around the corner. It is always interesting when the last day of school before spring break has snow involved, isn't it? I remain impressed in my interactions with students and families as you think about others and support your young people; it shines through in your children's ongoing development as thoughtful, empathetic, and intellectually-curious individuals. We continue to be appreciative of your partnerships and support. Whether you are getting away over spring break or sticking close by, we hope you and your family get some time to relax, recharge, and enjoy. When we come back, we will truly be in the home stretch of the school year.

In this edition, you will find:

New Information:

• Parent-Teacher Conference Details Reminder
• Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences Logistics for Friday
• Panorama Survey Parent/Guardian Participation Due by March 21st
• Culture Fair Sign Ups for May 16th Due by March 21st
• Deerfield Parent Network Event: Parenting a Smooth Transition to High School — 4/29
• Potential Bus Delays Due to Hazel Ave. Construction

Sincerely,

Rob Wegley, Principal

Cathy Van Treese, Associate Principal

Ginger Logemann, Director for Student Services

March 21 - Spring Break Begins at the End of Conferences

March 31 - School Resumes

April 1 - Boys Volleyball vs. Maple Jr. High (Order: 8/7) - Home at Shepard - 4:30 - 6:30 pm

April 7 - IAR Testing Begins

We are excited to welcome you to spring conferences starting tomorrow afternoon! Please note that all visitors to our school must check in through our front office and present your ID. We kindly ask that you arrive approximately 10 minutes before your scheduled conference time to allow for check-in processing.

When arriving at Shepard, please ring the bell, and our team will greet you in the lobby. We will collect IDs at check-in and get you set up with your schedule of conferences. As you depart, please make sure to go through the lobby once more so you can pick up your ID.

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you over the next two days!

For conferences that are taking place Friday from 9:30 - 11:00 am virtually, we want to send out a quick reminder about our Google Site where you can access the virtual meeting links at the time of your child's conference with each scheduled teacher.

We encourage you to either pull up your child(ren)'s schedule on PTC Wizard or print it out/write it down and then go to each teacher/team's link at your scheduled time.

We are here if you have any questions!

Again this year, parents/guardians across Illinois have an opportunity to participate in the annual survey to provide feedback about the schools their children attend. District 109 is fortunate to be able to use the Panorama platform for this survey, which is the same used for students. Ultimately, the family survey is designed for you to share your thoughts on the home-school partnership and other important elements of school effectiveness. Your responses help guide our improvement.

To take the survey, please visit https://surveys.panoramaed.com/deerfieldil/1589963429/surveys and select your child’s school. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and will close March 21st.

If you have children in multiple schools, we encourage you to provide feedback on both schools! Please know that your identity and responses are confidential and will not be connected to you or your child. Thank you in advance for taking the time to give us this important feedback.

As a reminder, we will be holding a Culture Fair on Friday, May 16, 2025 at Shepard Middle School.

Just in case you forgot to sign up, we are looking for participants from all over Deerfield or connected members of Deerfield families to lead interactive sessions so students can experience something significant to your cultural or religious background.

Due to the District’s allergy policy, food consumption cannot be part of this event. However, a recipe or food demonstration would be fine (i.e. a tea ceremony).

Presenters would be at Shepard for approximately 3 hours. Presenters will be asked to plan a 10-15 minute long experience which would repeat for all three grade levels.

Please complete this form for you or any family members interested in taking part in this event. Submissions are due by Friday, 3/21.

Please reach out to any of the following Culture Fair Committee members below with any questions. Thank you for your continued support.

Warm regards,

Matthew Brown, Kelly Hunzinger, David Komie, Jamie Mall, and Amanda Schatz

Shepard Culture Fair Committee

The Village of Deerfield has started its Hazel Avenue Infrastructure Project this week. Due to the ongoing construction that is intended to last until mid-November 2025, there will be some expected delays in bus pick-up and drop-off times for routes that run along Hazel Avenue between Wilmot Road and Waukegan Road. Front offices will be notified, and students arriving late due to these delays will be excused.

For updates, you can sign up for notifications on the Village of Deerfield website. If you have questions about the project, please contact the Village of Deerfield Engineering Department at 847-317-2490.

I firmly believe that with colder weather comes thinner patience—at least in my own experience. We're finding that to be the case with drop off and pick up, and I am calling on all families to ensure adherence to the guidelines we have communicated throughout the school year thus far. We continue to see cars cutting through and waiting in the parking lot at both pick up and drop off, we have started to see cars blocking crosswalks and intersections, causing students to walk around them in the street, and we have seen cars moving very quickly around other cars to get to a preferred spot as well as make three-point turns as students are walking around them.

We, as well as the Deerfield Police Department, have received several parent and neighbor complaints as of late—justifiably so. We are all in this together, and we need to approach arrival and dismissal as such. When we are aligned as a school community, we're all better because of it. Here are some key reminders and expectations:

We understand that drop off can be a slow process as it gets closer to the start of school. For drop off:

• Leave more time in the morning and aim to arrive at Shepard prior to 7:45 am. We all can move slower in the cold, so leaving some room can help make it so there is not as much of a rush and help you to not have to sit in the longer line as the start of school approaches.
• Drop off students anywhere between the two arrival signs and then exit the line to help things move smoother.
• Do not cut through the parking lot.

For pick up:

• Wait for the buses to depart before pulling in. They will leave by 3:07 or 3:08 every single day. We ask for your patience during that time. Feel free to come a little bit later so you are not waiting in line for the buses to depart.
• Use appropriate speed at all times.
• Do not cut through or wait in the parking lot. Do not block intersections or crosswalks.

In all situations, stay aware of your surroundings and of the children around. Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your continued partnership.

This is the last month to purchase yearbooks to have one guaranteed! Yearbooks can be purchased for $35. Details for purchasing are below!

Below is the link to purchase a yearbook at Yearbookforever.com. Parents should enter Alan B. Shepard Middle School (Deerfield, IL, not Texas)!

yearbookforever.com

As we strive to keep you informed about important events and updates at Shepard Middle School, we are excited to use the Remind app again as a valuable tool to strengthen our school-family partnership. Through this app, you will receive announcements from our Student Council (also known as StuCo), led by Mrs. Greenberg. These announcements will not only keep you informed about spirit days, fundraisers, and other important events throughout the school year but will also actively involve your child in the exciting activities shaping our school community.

To sign up, please follow the directions below. Check out this video if you would like step-by-step instructions.If you require any assistance setting up the app, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Greenberg.

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.