Family Newsletter

Dear Shepherd ES Families,

Thank you to everyone who has helped me celebrate National Principals Month, thus far! Your kindness, encouragement, collaboration, and continued engagement have truly been appreciated. I am grateful for the support of our Shepherd ES community as we work together to foster a positive, inclusive, and enriching learning environment where all students can thrive.

Please take a moment to review the important updates below, including our upcoming Celebration of Learning next Friday, our continued push for International Night sign-ups, and other pertinent information and reminders.

As a reminder, the primary email address for general school-related inquiries is shepherdes@k12.dc.gov. Please use this email address for questions, requests, or other school-related communication.

Kindest regards,

Dr. Calvin Hooks, Interim Principal
Shepherd Elementary School

International Night is on Thursday, November 5 from 5:30pm-7:00pm. Please sign up here if you are interested in participating! The link contains more information. We welcome all families to join the celebration!

Media release forms were completed as part of the student enrollment process. Please ensure that you have submitted a media release form allowing your child to participate in Picture Day.

My School DC has shifted to the mid-year application period for SY26-27 lottery applications. As a friendly reminder, this is the annual shift that occurs every year after Count Day - through mid-March during which My School DC no longer accepts online applications. During this period, schools and families must call the My School DC Hotline at 202-888-6336 (M-F, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.) to submit new lottery applications for SY26-27.

POC: Lauren.Brooks@k12.dc.gov or Lanika.Womack@k12.dc.gov

Join Chancellor Jackson for Java with Jackson, a series of community conversations hosted at local coffee shops across the District. Families, educators, and community partners are invited to meet Chancellor Jackson, share experiences, ask questions, and help shape the future of DC Public Schools. Register here.

Dates & Locations:

• Thursday, October 8, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | La Coop Coffee, Ward 4

• Thursday, October 15, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | Grounded, Ward 8

• Thursday, October 29, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | Bread Furst, Ward 3

• Thursday, November 19, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. | Ebenezer’s Coffee, Ward 5 & 6

Registration is not required, and attendees may join a coffee in any Ward, regardless of residence or the location of their school.

POC: Lauren.Brown@k12.dc.gov

Greetings, Shepherd Community!

I hope everyone is doing well! As we continue supporting our students' social emotional well-being at school, I wanted to share a few simple coping strategies that families can also practice at home. Coping skills are healthy ways kids can deal with big emotions like anger, sadness, frustration, or anxiety. I created a flyer with a list of coping skills that you can practice with your child at home. Please let me know if you have any questions at sjo@pavingthewaymsi.org.

Please feel free to save the dates! Additional details for each event will be shared closer to the date of each activity.

Learner Profile of the Month: Open-Minded

ATL of the Month: Social Skills

Heritage Month Celebration: Hispanic Heritage Month

Upcoming Event: International Night on Thursday, November 5 from 5:30-7:00. Please sign up here if you are interested in participating!

🌍IB Monthly Newsletters:

September IB Monthly: https://app.smore.com/n/3sydh

Related Arts Newsletter.docx​

SESSA New Parent One Pager

Families, PTBoard is officially live; the new home for all things Shepherd Elementary PTO. Most of you received an email invite already, but if you missed it or prefer to join another way, here's how:

1. Go to shepherdelementary.ptboard.com
2. Log in
3. On the "Join School" screen, enter school code: 7JBP37

Why it's worth a few minutes:
Everything now lives in one place: announcements, the calendar, volunteer sign-ups, classroom and grade-level groups, and forms. No more piecing things together across ClassDojo, email, and multiple links.

Once you're in, take a minute to confirm your child's grade and classroom so you get the right updates.

Something not working? Let us know at pto@shepherd-elementary.org. We're new to this platform too, and we'd much rather hear it's confusing than have you give up on it.

SES PTO

Please see the attached flyer from DCFAPAC.ORG.

https://linqconnect.com/public/meal-application/new?identifier=UH9WGK

https://dcps.dc.gov/page/volunteer-our-schools

https://dcps.dc.gov/page/school-health-requirements

Please email shepherdes@k12.dc.gov to request a card.

Please use this link to learn about DCPS meals and payments.

Assistant Principal Erika Moss

Blake Lind

The Early Childhood Education Division has several family facing resources available at ReadyForPreK.org including the Pre-K Family Toolkit and the Kindergarten Playbook. These digital resources have information for families on how you can support your child's transition into school!

If you are planning to chaperone field trips, help in classrooms, or support school events during the upcoming school year, now is the perfect time to start the volunteer clearance process. All volunteers, including parents, must complete the DCPS Clearance process before volunteer services can be provided.

Clearance can take several weeks, so we encourage all interested family members to begin early to avoid delays. Once completed, please email your proof of clearance to shepherdes@k12.dc.gov .

Please use these links to access the DCPS Notice of Non-Discrimination and Anti-Discrimination Policy.

When you receive the Family Newsletter by email, on Fridays, you will have the option to view it in a web browser. Accessing the newsletter this way allows for automatic translation into over 20 languages and provides enhanced accessibility features, including high-contrast display settings and adjustable font sizes for improved visibility.

October

October 8, 2026 ~ Shepherd Athletics Parent Meeting, 5:00pm-5:30pm

October 8, 2026 ~ Family STEM Night, 5:30pm-7:00pm

October 12, 2026 ~ Holiday, No School

October 13, 2026 ~ Parent Teacher Conference Day

October 23, 2026 ~ Suicide Prevention Presentation (Parents/Guardians), 8:50am-9:15am

October 23, 2026 ~ Celebration of Learning, 9:15am-9:45am

October 29, 2026 ~ Book-O-Ween (Schedule Shared)

October 30, 2026 ~ Staff Professional Development Day, No School for Students

November

November 2, 2026 ~ Teacher Records and Wellness Day, No School for Students

November 3, 2026 ~ Election Day, No School for Students

November 5, 2026 ~ International Night, 5:30pm-7:00pm

November 11, 2026 ~ Holiday, No School

November 25-27, 2026 ~ Holiday, No School for Students

Main Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM

Address: 7800 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20012

Website: Updates Coming Soon

Email: shepherdes@k12.dc.gov

School Phone: (202) 576-6140