Dear Shepard Families:
Well, the cold of winter is upon us, but we feel the warmth of the passion our students showcase for their learning each and every day. Welcome back to school! We hope you all had lovely Thanksgivings and found some rest and joy over the break. We hit the ground running at Shepard upon our return, highlighted by the start of our door decorating ExSEL contest. As this is my first time experiencing it, I was astounded by the effort and commitment across the board from students and staff alike. I saw students collaborating with a purpose to cut, tape, and decorate. I saw staff members walking around the hallway with yard sticks ready to measure doors with precision. It was creative and collaborative, and we cannot wait to see how the doors turn out!
In this edition, you will find:
New Information:
- Hot Chocolate Sales from StuCo
- Parental Tech Tips #9
- Superintendent Simeck Joins the Baking Club
- Cheerleading Squad at the DHS Dance Team Competition
- Shepard Learning Commons Bookmark Design Opportunity
- 109 Gives Back Holiday Gift Drive Drop Off Ends on Wednesday, December 11th
- Join Deerfield School District 109 at the Winter Market on Saturday, December 7th
- From School Tours of America: 8th-Grade Washington DC Trip Informational Meeting
- Clubs and Activities at Shepard
- ARC at Shepard
- Drop-Off Logistics
- Shepard Yearbooks
Middle School Health Curriculum Note
- Remind App Information
- 8th-Grade Yearbook Flashback Page
- Lunch Information
- Medication and Attendance
- PTSO Information
Sincerely,
Rob Wegley, Principal
Cathy Van Treese, Associate Principal
Ginger Logemann, Director for Student Services
Upcoming Dates
December 9 - 7th and 8th-Grade Girls Basketball (Order: 8/7) - Home vs. Wood Oaks - 4:30 - 6:30 pm
December 9 - 7th and 8th-Grade Boys Basketball (Order: 8/7) - Away @ Wood Oaks - 4:30 - 6:30 pm
December 10 - 6th-Grade Basketball (Order: boys/girls) - Home vs. Field - 4:30 - 6:30 pm
December 11 - 7th and 8th-Grade Boys Basketball (Order: 8/7) - Home vs. Wilmette - 4:30 - 6:30 pm
December 11 - 7th and 8th-Grade Girls Basketball (Order: 8/7) - Away @ Wilmette - 4:30 - 6:30 pm
December 12 - 6th-Grade Basketball (Order: boys/girls) - Home vs. Wood Oaks - 4:30 - 6:30 pm
As you have noticed, we continue to emphasize inclusion at Shepard. One of the key ways to foster inclusion and a sense of belonging is through students getting involved in athletics, clubs, and activities at school. We have an updated clubs and activities page on our website. We have the same for athletics. We encourage you to take a look with your child to see if they may express interest in any they want to give a try!
First and foremost, we are thankful for the partnership of our parent community who continue to navigate our drop-off procedures in line with the expectations of staying in the drop-off line and not cutting through the parking lot. We have some logistics that we are hopeful will help things move smoother that we'd like to outline here.
Spartan Traffic Guide: You will see a Shepard staff member stationed out front helping to direct traffic. They will primarily be encouraging cars to move further up and to help facilitate a quick drop off. You can help by gauging the flow of traffic, making sure you have pulled up as far as possible, and making sure your child is ready to get out of the car quickly. Thank you for being kind to our traffic guides!
Spartan Signage: Who doesn't love a good sign? We now have signs that state, "Pull All the Way Up To The Other Sign" and "This is the Other Sign." Our hope is that visual is a fun and easy way to help us keep things moving.
As a side note, please know that—even with these measures in place—the line will continue to be slower as we get to the end of our typical drop off time (7:40 - 7:55 or so). There are all sorts of factors that lead to this. People have busy lives, it can be hard to get a middle schooler out of bed early, etc. We just want to be clear that this window at the end of drop off seems to be when the majority of cars are coming, so it is going to be the slowest time to drop off. If you can manage, getting to Shepard earlier on to drop off is beneficial!
As part of the Physical Education/Health curriculum at Shepard, your child will take part in lessons designed to develop life-long health habits. Topics are aligned with the National Health Education Standards (NHES), which are designed to help establish, promote, and support health-enhancing behaviors. Middle school units of instruction are as follows:
Social and Emotional Health (6th Grade)
Nutrition (6th Grade)
Mental Health (7th Grade)
Injury Prevention & Safety (7th Grade)
Violence Prevention (8th Grade)
Substance Abuse & Prevention (8th Grade)
Specific sexual health topics are addressed in partnership with outside agencies. In February, 8th-grade classrooms partner with Candor Health for a live virtual session called Teen Sexual Health. Similar to the 5th-grade session titled Puberty I, an on-demand parent webinar will be provided prior and an opt-out made available. In April, speakers from Childhood Victories, Inc. provide age-appropriate presentations focused on sexual-assault and abuse awareness (Erin’s Law). This program occurs for all grades and an opt-out is made available. While not a stand-alone unit, sexual health topics may be discussed in Health classrooms as a result of student questions or in connection to related topics. If parents/guardians have concerns, they should email their child’s PE teacher no later than 12/20/24.
As we strive to keep you informed about important events and updates at Shepard Middle School, we are excited to use the Remind app again as a valuable tool to strengthen our school-family partnership. Through this app, you will receive announcements from our Student Council (also known as StuCo), led by Mrs. Greenberg. These announcements will not only keep you informed about spirit days, fundraisers, and other important events throughout the school year but will also actively involve your child in the exciting activities shaping our school community.
To sign up, please follow the directions below. Check out this video if you would like step-by-step instructions.If you require any assistance setting up the app, please do not hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Greenberg.
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.