Spartan Scoop 9/13/24

September 16 - Girls Volleyball—Away @ Springman - 4:30 pm

September 16 - 8th-Grade Soccer—Home vs. Springman - 4:30 pm

September 16 - Cross Country—Away @ Springman - 4:30 pm

September 17 - Girls Volleyball—Home vs. Northbrook Jr. High - 4:30 pm

September 17 - 8th-Grade Soccer—Away @ Northbrook Jr. High - 4:30 pm

September 19 - Cross Country—Away @ Caruso - 4:30 pm

September 19 - Soccer—Away @ Field - 4:30 pm

September 19 - Volleyball—Home vs. Field - 4:30 pm

September 19 - PTSO Portillo's Eat-N-Earn Fundraiser - 4-7 pm

September 25 - The Anxious Generation parent event @ Shepard - 7-8 pm

We will have our first fire drill on Friday, September 20th. We just want to make sure all are informed.

If your child is interested in any clubs/activities, please complete the participation form (linked here). The completed form can be turned into the office or given to the club sponsor directly. Any fee associated with the club/activity will be assessed in Skyward. Payments can be made online in Skyward. Checks can be turned into the front office as well and should be made payable to Deerfield Public Schools. If your family has received a fee waiver, your child's participation fee will be waived. Any questions? Please contact Ms. Van Treese.

As we continue through the year, we are doing our best to recognize and celebrate positive behaviors and interactions at Shepard. Students have started receiving Spartan Shout Outs from staff members to celebrate how awesome they are. Students bring those to the office to add their name to our Principal's 200 Club. We will be reaching out when your child receives a shout out!

Middle school is a complex time where children are still learning expected behaviors, and it is developmentally appropriate to slip up sometimes. Of course, you will hear from us in these circumstances as well so we can collectively partner together to support our students! We appreciate your support and partnership.

All books in Shepard's library collection have literary merit and are carefully selected with the help of reviews from School Library Journal and Booklist, but some are labeled Young Adult (YA) and are intended for grades 8 and up due to more mature content. While we encourage all students to read various sorts of materials, we prefer that you as the parent(s)/guardian(s) determine what is appropriate for your child. For this reason, we ask that you sign this form should you decide to grant permission for your child to read books from the YA section in both 6th and 7th grades. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Shepard's library information specialist, Dr. Andrea Trudeau at atrudeau@dps109.org.

We recently sent a reminder about the release of information form that is needed in order for us to begin the planning process with Deerfield High School. To assist with your child’s transition to high school, DHS requests information from Shepard Middle School, such as demographic information, standardized test data, etc.

To exchange this information about your child, we must obtain consent from both you and your child. The parental form is available in your Family Access account in Skyward. It is titled as they 2024-25 INFO VERIFICATION form which includes the “Permission to Release/Exchange Info with DHS" at the bottom. The completion of this form should only take a couple of minutes. You will provide some directory information (school, name, date of birth, contact info) and an electronic signature.

We look forward to supporting your child at this important time in their education. If you have not already, please be sure to login to Skyward Family Access and complete the form as soon as possible. If you prefer to complete a hard copy of the form, please reach out to the Shepard front office.

The Yearbook is looking for Elementary school photos of your 8th grader and friends for this year's Yearbook FLASHBACK PAGES!

* Please choose up to 3 of your favorite photos (include/tag Kipling or Walden and the names of the students) and send it to the link below.

* Our Yearbook staff works very hard to include as many students as possible, especially on these pages, so 3 photos max will be very appreciated.

* If you are new to Shepard for middle school, we are happy to add a photo from your student's other school. Please be sure to tag the school name.

Thanks so much for contributing K-5 memories and enjoy your day!

Flashback Photos

- The Yearbook Staff

On Saturday, September 21st, DPS 109 will have a booth at the farmers market, which happens to also kick off the Harvest Fest! We’re excited to have our superintendent join us, along with a few board of education members. There will be a coloring table, stickers, and an EyeSpy game. If your eye spies all the listed items, there may be a special prize! We look forward to seeing you there!

As we have navigated arrival and dismissal, our students are doing a wonderful job entering and exiting school, getting to the bus on time, and being mindful of those around them. I have also had the opportunity to better understand what our procedures are, and I'd like to highlight them again as some cars are still cutting through the parking lot or waiting in the parking lot at dismissal, which is blocking cars, parking spots, and traffic.

Below, you will find two maps with what our expected procedures are and what we are seeing that we need your help in stopping. Please help us out by following the expected procedures and not cutting through/waiting for your child in the parking lot. During dismissal, please wait for the buses to depart before pulling in and picking your child up—they leave at 3:07 or a smidge after every day! Thank you in advance!

Students are doing a nice job using their lockers during the school day. Sometimes, though, students are leaving locks unlocked or not putting a lock on their locker. To protect your child's materials and personal items, please reinforce the need to use a lock! Students are responsible for their own materials and items during the school day, and we want to help our students continue to learn that crucial skill of personal responsibility.

Earlier this summer, we read the book, The Anxious Generation, which explores the significant increase in anxiety among today's youth, examining the underlying causes and societal factors contributing to this trend. The book provides practical strategies and insights for parents, educators, and mental health professionals to help young people manage anxiety and build resilience.

We would like to invite parents and guardians to join us in person on Wednesday, September 25 from 7:00-8:00 in the Shepard library to discuss some of the topics introduced in the book.

You do not have to read the full book to join the conversation! Since many of us are short on time, the links below will provide you with enough information to participate in this event.

Video Interview with the author (21 minutes)

Video Summary (9 minutes)

Written Summary (4 minutes)

Please consider joining us on Wednesday, September 25 from 7:00-8:00 p.m. in the Shepard library for a structured conversation about the topics explored in the book. Please RSVP below.

Below is the link to purchase a yearbook at Yearbookforever.com.

Parents should enter Alan B. Shepard Middle School (Deerfield, IL, not Texas)!

The cost is $30. After January 15th, the cost will be $35.

yearbookforever.com

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.