The Parent Port
August 31, 2026
Say cheese, Pirates! Fall Picture Retake Day at Shepherd Primary is coming up on November 3! If your child missed the first picture day or needs a retake, this is their chance to smile for the camera!
The SPS Book Fair is still going strong! Students can shop through November 6. Plus, every student with an eWallet will be entered into a drawing to win a prize! Happy shopping, Pirates!
Join us for our SPS Thanksgiving Feast! Families are invited to enjoy lunch with their student on November 11 or 12. Please check the flyer for your student’s grade-level date and lunch time.
Forms will be sent home with students. Please return completed forms and payment by Friday, November 6. There is a limit of four visitors per student, and tickets will not be sold the day of.
We look forward to sharing a meal and making special memories together!
Fall into a good book! The Shepherd Intermediate Book Fair is coming November 6–13! Families can also shop during Fall Family Night on November 12 from 5:30–7 p.m.
Payments accepted include cash, eWallets, and checks payable to Shepherd Intermediate. Scan the QR code on the flyer for more information. Let’s keep our Pirates reading!
We’re thankful for our Pirate families! Join us at Shepherd Intermediate on November 10 for our Thanksgiving Feast during your student’s grade-level lunch time. Check the flyer for the lunch schedule.
Adult plates are $7, child plates are $3, and SIS students eat free. Advance purchases are encouraged. We look forward to sharing a meal with you!
Gather the family for an evening of fall fun at Shepherd Intermediate! Join us November 12 from 5:30–7 p.m. for food, games, prizes, and time together!
Be sure to stop by the Book Fair while you’re here. We can’t wait to see our Pirate families!
CKH November Character Trait
This November, our Capturing Kids’ Hearts focus is teamwork! We’re helping students practice working together, listening to others, and doing their part toward a shared goal. Families can reinforce teamwork at home by preparing a meal together, tackling a household task, or playing a cooperative game. Celebrate the moments when your child helps, encourages others, or contributes to the team. Together, we can accomplish great things!
Tech Tip for Families: Start the Year Connected!
Help your child have a successful school year by making sure they can access the digital tools used at school.
Practice logging in to ClassLink at home.
Keep usernames, passwords, and Quick Cards in a safe place.
Review healthy screen-time habits and online safety together.
Remind your child never to share passwords or personal information online.
Need help accessing a program or finding your child’s login information? Contact your child’s teacher or the campus media specialist.
Explore Our Reading Programs
Epic! is used at both Primary & Intermediate!
Epic! is a digital reading platform that gives students access to thousands of high-quality books, audiobooks, and educational videos. With a wide variety of fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, and learning resources, Epic! helps students discover books that match their interests and reading levels.
Students can read anytime and anywhere, making it easy to continue learning and exploring beyond the classroom. Epic! encourages a love of reading by giving every child the opportunity to find their next favorite book.
Students can access EPIC! by logging in with their school account through Classlink. Simply open Classlink, select the EPIC! icon, and start exploring!
If you do not know your reader's Classlink login information, please reach out to your student's campus librarian.
Beanstack is used Only at Primary!
Beanstack is an interactive reading platform that helps students build strong reading habits through fun challenges and goal setting. Students can log their reading, complete activities, and earn digital badges as they reach milestones. Throughout the year, they can participate in monthly and personalized challenges, with opportunities to earn exciting prizes and rewards along the way.
Beanstack turns reading into an adventure by motivating students to read more, celebrate their achievements, and develop a lifelong love of books!
Students can access Beanstack by logging in with their school account through Classlink. Simply open Classlink, select the Beanstack icon, and start exploring! Once inside, students can join reading challenges, log their reading, earn badges, and work toward exciting prizes and rewards.
Pre-K through 1st Grade: Students have a QuickCard that can be scanned to easily log in to ClassLink and access Beanstack.
2nd Grade: Students will need to enter their ClassLink username and password to log in.
If your child needs assistance with their login information or has trouble accessing Beanstack, please contact the campus librarian for support. We're happy to help get every student connected and ready to read!
Little Helpers, BIG Imaginations!
After making our Elmer the Elephant, we got to pretend to be community helpers during center time! We loved it
Celebrating heritage in Ms. Garcia’s class!
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, every student in Ms. Garcia’s class created a poster board showcasing their own heritage! This project gave our little Pirates a chance to share what makes them unique and learn more about one another.
We’re proud of their creativity and the pride they showed in sharing their roots. Thank you, Ms. Garcia, for helping students celebrate the many stories that make our classroom community special!
Alakazam! Watch the Magic E work its magic!
Our 1st graders used large letter cards to build words and then transformed them into Magic E words. They added the “magic” e, changed the vowel sound, and watched their words come to life!
Better Together: Contraction Crew!
Big thinking in 3rd grade math!
Learning together!
Our 4th graders worked collaboratively to create chronological timelines, putting events in the correct order while sharing ideas and learning from one another!
Our 5th graders are really digging into Lesson 1 of our Early Civilizations unit!
Today, they became archaeologists, using sieves to uncover artifacts left behind by the Mayans, Aztecs, and Incas. They had a blast getting hands-on while learning how archaeologists use artifacts to discover clues about the past!
Learning is always more fun when you can dig into it!