Shepardson Newsletter

We celebrated the 17th day of school today! Our students are already expert students who are respectful throughout the school and are hard at work grappling with new learning.

This month, we are focusing on supporting good attendance habits to cultivate thriving students. Being at school all day and being on time are important habits. Did you know that research shows students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful, and on track to graduate with options. We have a couple of attendance challenges to reward our students who are here through October 2nd. More details are below. If there are barriers keeping you from regular and timely attendance, we’re here to help.

Next week, our Fifth Graders will have their Eco Experience Field Trip on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday! We are excited to take them as we see this as a valuable opportunity for all of our students to cultivate curiosity, inclusivity, and skills that prepare them for the world. Through the support of our PTO we are able to keep the cost down for families of fifth graders. If you would like to go above and beyond to sponsor a student, you can donate via SchoolPay.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Yours,

Laura

Laura Sutton

Principal, Shepardson STEM Elementary
she, her, hers What is this?
Web she.psdschools.org Email lsutton@psdschools.org
1501 Springwood Drive Fort Collins, CO 80525

Shepardson... educating every child, every day by cultivating curious, inclusive, and thriving students who are prepared for the world.

• Fri, Sept 11 - Shepardson Rollerland Night
• Sat, Sept 12 - CSU Education Day
• Tickets are $15 each.
• $5 from every ticket purchased will be returned directly to our school's PE Department
• Mon-Wed, Sept 14-16 - Fifth Grade Eco Experience at the CSU Mountain Campus
• Mon, Sept 14 - 6:30-7:30 - PTO Meeting in the Shepardson Media Center
• Wed, Sept 16 - 5:00pm - 9:00pm - Family Night @ Chipotle (Harmony)
• Thurs, Sept 17 - 8:00am - Star Choir Rehearsal
• Fri, Sept 18 - 8:15am - Mileage Club
• Sun, Sept 20 - 10:00am - SHEPARDSON 4K FUN RUN
• Mon, Sep 21 - 3:45pm - Book Club First Class!
• Wed, Sept 23 - 8:00am - Coding Club First Class!
• Wed, Sept 23 - 3:45pm - Mileage Club
• Thurs, Sept 24 - 8:00am - Star Choir Rehearsal
• Thurs, Sept 24 - School Picture Day
• Fri, Sept 25 - 8:15am - Mileage Club
• Mon, Sept 28 - No School, Teacher Work Day
• Sept 29 - Oct 2 - Spirit Week and Attendance Promotion!
• Fri, Oct 2 - PTO Movie Night

Hi! I'm Kristine Britton your friendly-neighborhood-neurodivergent-K/1 Center-Based Autism Teacher. This is my fourth year at Shepardson and my fifth as a teacher. Most of my special education experience was as a speech-language pathology assistant for 12 years and prior to that I worked as a paraeducator and behavior interventionist. And it all started when I began volunteering with my son's preschool SLP. My favorite part of this job is chatting with parents about all of the things their kids are accomplishing and randomly hearing kids casually mimic what I say regularly.

Moved here in 2020 from Southern California, and I love it so much here (I do get homesick though). I'm happiest when I'm on rock climbing trips with my friends. I'm currently the only one in my family who hasn't fallen off their paddleboard, and I have the most wins in Catan (and the best victory dance). In my spare time (lol), I work on my house. I have a million hobbies that I'm "too tired" for. My favorite conversation starter is talking about how exhausted I am. I've run 3 half marathons for which I did not train (do not recommend). My pet peeve is having to repeat myself and football season. If you've read this far, feel free to bring me a sugar free Red Bull—room 308. Thank you!

Click the Picture above to enroll

Families will be notified via email by Friday, September 18th whether they are in the club or not.

*If there are more students interested in the club than I can accommodate, a lottery system will be used to select students.

Please reach out to me, Alison Schutt, Shepardson STEM Media Specialist with any questions.

aschutt@psdschools.org

Starts Sept 10th

Click here for the choir schedule. for the year.

Use SCHOOLPAY to make your $10 Donation to Choir!!

Sign up Today! Click on Picture Below.

REGISTRATION

• Click on Picture Above to Register through School Pay
• Pre-Registration Preferred (PSD is CASHLESS!)
• Pre-Registration CLOSES on Friday, Sept 11th at 12:00pm
• All Pre-Registered Runners will receive a t-shirt upon registering. (Shirts available until gone.)

REGISTRATION COST

Individual: $12

Family (4+): $40

Race Day Details

9:00 am - RACE DAY WALK UP REGISTRATION (Pre-Registration is Preferred) - Card Only!

9:15am - Pre-Registered Check In

10:00am - 4K Run/Walk Begins

After School Enrichment Programs Hosted at Shepardson

Community partners often apply to host their programs at Shepardson. If you are interested in these programs please click the link below:

CLICK HERE to go to website for more information!

PTO General Meeting

Monday, Sept. 14, 6:30 p.m., Media Center

Learn more about how to support Shepardson in ways big and small — all are welcome!

Family Night at Chipotle — Harmony location

Wednesday, Sept. 16, 5-9 p.m.

Enjoy a meal with the Shepardson community and support our school — dine at Chipotle, mention the fundraiser and 25% of sales come back to the school. Order online using code PQBQNCJ.

Save the Date: Family Outdoor Movie Night
Friday, Oct. 2
Bring a blanket, grab some popcorn and join the Shepardson community under the stars for a movie night on the school lawn.

Join the Shepardson Parent-Teacher Organization! Together, we make up the village that supports our children — showing up, supporting teachers, building connections, and investing in our school community.

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.

All PK-8 schools are cell phone free zones from bell to bell. Students must keep phones, headphones, smart watches, 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. 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.

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

Sometimes life can be a little hectic, so it is important to make sure that your information is up to date and correct in ParentVUE, especially when it comes to proper contacts and authorized pickup information for your child or children.

Be sure to check this information in your ParentVUE account to ensure that the right people can be contacted when needed or a student can be released to the appropriate person.

Contact Dawnel Meyer, the Shepardson Registrar, if you need any assistance.

Poudre School District is planning for the next several decades of public education in our community. That work involves tackling questions about enrollment, facilities, and how we use our resources to serve every student well.

This page under the Community section of the PSD website brings that work together in one place. On that site you will find the committee leading it, the teams doing the detailed planning, the enrollment data behind it, and the timeline for what comes next.

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.