Shepardson Community News

What an amazing week! Thank you to all of our amazing families who organized the donations for our Bike to School Day! What a fun event to see hundreds of bikes pour onto our campus! Big thanks to the Lions Club for the yummy breakfast!

Also this week, our Second Graders learned about Fort Collins History in Old Town, all students enjoyed outside games for Spring Zing, and First Graders had chicks hatch! Our Star Squad Coin Drive raised over $1,000 that was donated to Respite Care. This generous donation is enough to send nine students to camp this summer for a week! Mr. Ray died his hair pink to celebrate!

Thank you to our amazing volunteers and community support that help events like these be successful!

Next week will be our last full week of school and it will be the most fun of all with our Lip Sync, several field trips, and continued hard work and learning! The Lip Sync is Monday, May 18th from 9:15-11:15 and family members of students that are performing are welcome to attend. If your child is not performing, though, please do not join this event. Our gym gets too crowded if we have too many folks join us.

The following week is short:

• There is no school on Monday, May 25th.

• Tuesday, May 26th is a full day of school.

• Kindergarten Celebration is 9:30-10:30

• Fifth Grade Celebration is 12:30-2:00

• Wednesday, May 27th is a half day for students.

• We will dismiss students at 12:13.

• Lunch is not provided.

This year has flown by and my heart is full of thankfulness for our students, staff, and entire community! It is truly an honor to be part of such a wonderful, inspiring school. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Yours,
Laura

Laura Sutton

Principal, Shepardson STEM Elementary
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Web she.psdschools.org Email lsutton@psdschools.org
1501 Springwood Drive Fort Collins, CO 80525

Shepardson... cultivating curious, inclusive, and thriving students who are prepared for the world.

More information about events is on our website, including access to our Shepardson Calendar that you can add to your own google calendar. Some highlights of events for this week include:

• Monday, May 18th - 9:15-11:15 - Lip Sync
• Tuesday, May 19th - 9:30am - 1st Grade PBL Panel
• Wednesday, May 20th - 8:00am - Minecraft Club - Last One!
• Wednesday, May 20th - 9:10am Shining Star Assembly
• Wednesday, May 20th - 11:15am GT ALP Presentations
• Wednesday, May 20th - 1:15pm GT ALP Open House
• Thursday, May 21st - 4th Grade Bike Field Trip
• Thursday, May 21st - SAC Meeting 4:00-5:00pm
• Friday, May 22nd - 9am- 3rd Grade Walking Field Trip to Warren Park
• Friday, May 22nd - 1:15pm - 5th Grade Walking Field Trip to Warren Park
• Friday, May 22nd - 3:00 High School Grad Walk Through
• Monday, May 25th - MEMORIAL DAY - NO SCHOOL
• Tuesday, May 26th - 9:30am Kinder Celebration
• Tuesday, May 26th - 12:30pm -5th Grade Picnic and Ceremony
• Wednesday, May 27th - 9:00am - 5th Grade Parade - Last Day of School!

The last day of school for 2025-2026, May 27, will be a half day for students. Students will be released 3.5 hours early. Shepardson will dismiss at 12:13pm.

Breakfast will be served. No lunch will be served on May 27. It will be a full day for staff.

I cannot believe I am about to wrap-up my 21st year as a teacher. I've spent 10 wonderful years at Shep. and 9 years teaching kindergarten. It’s funny how each school year still feels a little like my very first in so many ways- yay for new adventures and growth with the littlest friends in the school.

During the school year, I'm thankful to say that my best friends are the people I work with each day. But when I'm not at school, you can find me with my family. Our life is full at home with three kids, growing too fast. My parents and sister's family live in-town as well and we are grateful!

This summer, I'm looking forward to getting outside for runs, golfing with a few of my Shep. friends, and trying to slow down what always seems to be a fast-paced summer season!

Katie Fitzpatrick

Kindergarten

Please read thoroughly if you have medications at school!

We partner with the 1stDay School Supply company for families to order pre-packaged supply packs if they would like to. This is completely optional. Ordering will continue through May 31st and be delivered to school before the first day of school. Here is a document that lists what is in the packs for each grade level. Click here for ordering the supply pack.

Hello Shepardson Families,

Cosmo and Clover, my classroom guinea pigs, are in need of summer hosts. They are sweet and fun girls and will be a delight to have in your home, I promise!

They come with all their supplies, except for fresh veggies which they do like to have daily.

If you are interested in helping out for a week or two or more, please let me know: your maximum length of stay desired and any dates you are not available. Please reply to me if you are interested. I am looking for dates starting May 27th through August 10th when I will be away from school for the summer.

I will give this message some time for responses and put together a schedule by May 15th based on the responses I get. I do sometimes have trouble finding coverage for them in the summer, so please let me know if you are interested.

Thank you so much for your help!

Emily Clark

Dear Shepardson Families and Friends,

It’s that time of year for our annual 1st grade INCUBATION! Each 1st grade classroom will be incubating and hopefully hatching chicken eggs. The eggs are donated to us by a small family farm in Masonville. The type of chicks we often hatch are Welsummers, Easter Eggers, and Blue or Black Copper Marans,

These chicks WILL BE FREE to good homes. If you are interested in adopting a chicken or 2, reach out to one of the 1st grade teachers. A few points to ponder before adopting…

1. Chicks will be due to start hatching May 11th. They will be ready to be picked up between Wednesday, May 20th and Friday, May 22nd.
2. We only provide you with the chick(s). All their care-taking materials are up to you.
3. Please check Fort Collins' ordinances on having chickens.
4. We cannot guarantee a chick will not grow to be a rooster*.
5. Chicks are NON-RETURNABLE.
6. Chicks will be given to good homes on a 1st request basis.

*To tell if a chick is a rooster look for faster-developing, larger, and redder combs/wattles by 3-5 weeks. Males typically have thicker legs, stand taller/more upright, and act more assertive, while female chicks have faster-growing wing and tail feathers. At 8-12 weeks, roosters grow pointed neck (hackle) and back (saddle) feathers.

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from our future adoptees!

Our Best to You and Your Family,

Mrs. Wood, Mrs. Withrow & Mrs. Bergeron

The Shepardson PTO is one of the strongest school support organizations in PSD! If you ever wonder how you can support Shepardson more, you should volunteer through the PTO! There are open positions for next year - check out the link HERE.

Did you know that our school community has earned over $21,000 since starting with Box Tops for Education? The best part is it comes from buying the groceries and household items your family already needs! Turn your weekly shopping trip into funding for our students - just download the app and scan your first receipt to earn $2.50 for the school using this link to sign up. You can also connect your Walmart account to Box Tops to earn without scanning a receipt. February's bonuses include 50 cents for buying any 3 Annie's products, with new bonuses coming each month.

Summer EBT Program: https://cdhs.colorado.gov/summer-ebt

• Summer EBT (also known as SUN Bucks) gives eligible children a one-time payment of $120 to help pay for food the summer when school is out.

• Your child is eligible and will be automatically enrolled in Summer EBT if...

• Your child attends a school participating in the National School Breakfast or Lunch Program (NSLP), AND one or more of the following:

• Receives SNAP or Colorado Works (TANF)

• Has household income ≤ 185% of the federal poverty guidelines and receives Health First Colorado (Medicaid) or your household submitted an income form to their school

• Is homeless, in foster care, is in the Migrant Education Program, or runaway

• Your child is between 6–17 years and does not attend an NSLP school but meets any of the above criteria.

Looking for something to do during the summer that doesn't cost a lot? Here are some of Fort Collins' best deals in the summer!

We are in need of donations for our Sunflower Fund. Please see below for details!

Summer is almost here! This year has flown by! First and foremost, we would like to thank all the PSD families for such an excellent year! This past school year several schools have seen an uptick in safety involving students riding e-bikes and e-scooters. I wanted to remind parents and students that it is important to wear helmets while riding e-bikes and e-scooters. It is also important to obey all traffic and bicycle laws while riding any electric transportation (this includes controlling the speed of the e-bikes or e-scooters!!!). As summer increases pedestrians in all forms, it is important for drivers of vehicles to have an increased situational awareness for safety of pedestrians and drivers.

With summer approaching, there are several resources available for PSD families and students. This month we wanted to give PSD families the available resources for the summer months. TAC212: Website: https://tac212.com/about Phone: 970-495-0084

TAC212 offers a variety of programs, activities, and mental health resources free of charge. TAC212’S mission is to provide a safe space for teens (11-18 years old) outside of school or their home to feel supported, gain experiences, and make lasting connections. They provide access to art supplies, computers, gaming consoles, movies, games, puzzles, and more! Safe2Tell: Website: https://safe2tellco.org Phone: 1-877-542-7233

This program offers students, parents, and community members an anonymous reporting system to law enforcement. Safe2Tell promotes school and student safety through prevention and early intervention. Safe2Tell encourages reporting by all, and a Safe2Tell can be submitted through the website, by calling them, through their mobile app, or by texting S2TCO to 738477. Safe2Tell is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Center for Family Outreach: Website: https://www.tcffo.org Phone: 970-495-0084

This program’s mission is to strengthen families by providing education, prevention, and early intervention. The Center for Family Outreach offers substance abuse counseling and therapy, mental health support, conflict resolution, support navigating the tough teen years, and parent resources. The Center for Family Outreach offers classes for teens and parents to help families create positive lifelong change. Summit Stone: Website: https://www.summitstone.org Phone: 970-494-4200

Summit Stone offers a wide variety of mental health support. Summit Stone is the largest behavioral health provider in Larimer County. They offer peer support, crisis services, withdraw management, telehealth, group therapy, and several other forms of support.

For additional information on the resources listed above, please visit the websites. We hope you have a great summer and enjoy the sunshine. Remember to wear your sunscreen!

See you next school year,

SRO Dave Wilson

SRO Dave Wilson

Help us keep our campus safe:

• Please "walk your wheels" around campus by not riding bikes or scooters on the blacktop around the school.
• Do not park and leave your car in red zones.
• "Kiss and Go" areas are for drive through traffic only - do not park your car in these zones.
• The north side "Kiss and Go" area for older students is marked with yellow paint on the curb to remind where there should be no parking.

• Kindergarten Lunch 11:55-12:20
• First Grade Lunch 12:15-12:35
• Second Grade Lunch 11:25-11:45
• Third Grade Lunch 12:35-12:55
• Fourth Grade Lunch 1:00-1:20
• Fifth Grade Lunch 12:45-1:05

All PK-8 schools are cell phone free zones from bell to bell. This is a district-wide policy. Students must keep phones, headphones, and other electronic accessories out of sight and on silent unless approved by an administrator or specified in an IEP, 504 plan or Health Care Action Plan. This includes smart watches. If a student needs to get in touch with their family during the school day, they need to ask their teacher and/or the school office.

Please do not text your child during the school day. If they are using their watch or phone, it will be stored at their teachers desk for the day. If it continues to be an issue, it will be stored in the office until a parent comes to pick it up.

For full details, visit the PSD Code of Conduct page, found here.

Be sure to submit a Free and Reduced Status application ahead of the first day back. Completing this form not only makes students eligible for waived school fees and benefits through Fort Collins City programs, but also helps PSD receive federal funding to support classrooms and learning opportunities; your child’s eligibility status is confidential and must be renewed annually.

To do this, parents can fill out two forms: the Free and Reduced-Priced Status online application, found here, as well as the Permission to Share form through ParentVUE.