| Attendance Line Number - 490-3062 | September 12, 2003 |
Shepardson's Home Page:
http://schoolweb.psdschools.org/she/
| Table of contents | Index to Shepardson Report Newsletters | Shepardson Home Page |
| Attendance Line Number - 490-3062 | September 12, 2003 |
Oh, the Places We Will Go! In this book, Dr. Seuss invites the reader to be open to new challenges. I'm a believer in trying to make the world and specifically the educational environment a better place for all children to learn. I also enjoy serving others for this purpose along with a strong need to actively seek continuous professional growth. These beliefs have led me to a new place that I hope will allow me to serve children and educators in a new and productive way.
Last June, I was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Elementary School Principals. It is a three-year position that will involve more travel and more active leadership roles and communication at the national level. I will be directly serving principals of K-8 schools in 8 states from Alaska to Minnesota. It has been over 30 years since a Colorado principal has served in such a capacity. It is an awesome responsibility and privilege to serve my colleagues in this way.
Given the increased involvement of the federal government in education (known best by No Child Left Behind), I am looking forward to sharing our frustrations, challenges and celebrations with those who need to hear about what is happening in schools these days. At the same time, I will be accessing new information and resources to assist us at Shepardson, in the Poudre School District, and these eight states as we seek more effective and efficient ways to continue our improvement of schools. I will become more knowledgeable and influential in this new volunteer role.
How does this impact Shepardson? It has already greatly increased the visibility of Shepardson and Fort Collins. At the same time, it will require me to be gone around 30 days traveling to Board Meetings, national and international events, and speaking at state conferences. This year, when I am gone for a week at a time, Mr. Joe Cuddemi, the new principal of the new Core Knowledge Junior High being built with Fossil Ridge High School, will be here to assist our school as needed. In addition, Rea Kreider, our counselor, will continue to serve us as our Administrative Assistant and will be available to you as always. This staff is exceptionally independent and will continue to serve the needs of your children, regardless of my direct access. I am often reminded of how focused and interdependent the staff at Shepardson is and how fortunate I am to work with such dedicated caring professionals.
I thank you for your understanding and support. I will be keeping the spirit and stories of Shepardson in my heart as I travel and focus on children everywhere.
On another note, we thank the many parents who are so conscientious for making after school arrangements before coming to school. While there may be some times when changes are needed, it can be too hectic at 2:45 p.m. or later to be sure the communication occurs swiftly and completely. Transition time with a classroom of children getting ready to go home is similar to the last minutes before a family leaves for an airport for travel with even more children and issues to manage. I applaud teachers teaching every moment of the day they can which does mean that the end of the day is very busy. In addition, the ringing of office phones and the arrival of visitors at this time increase exponentially. The office staff are very adept with multi-tasking but these last minute calls are often the most difficult to manage as we would like. Thanks for your interest in understanding our world here at school.
| - | Mary Kay Sommers |
| email: msommers@psd.k12.co.us |
| CALENDAR | September 12, 2003 |
| SEPTEMBER 2003 | SEPTEMBER 2003 | ||||
| Thurs | Sept. 18 | Shepardson's 25th Anniversary 3:30 - 6:00 pm | Fri | Sept. 26 | Innisbrook orders due today |
| Tues | Sept. 23 | Individual Picture Day | Tues | Sept. 30 | First Choir Practice 7:45 a.m. (5th/6th) |
| Thurs | Sept. 25 | SIT Meeting 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. | |||
Shepardson is now 25 years old! We invite you to join us for a gala celebration next Thursday, September 18th from 3:30 - 6:00 p.m. This is a special event that we will add to our personal set of memories. You may want to invite your neighbors whose children attended several years ago.
Special thanks to Colleen DelMonte and Patty Bell who have spent many, many hours to prepare for this event. Thanks also to PTO who is assisting us with this event. Please notice the special flyer and put this date on your calendar!
BUS BUDDIES
At Shepardson, we are constantly looking for ways to help students develop responsibility and leadership skills. This semester, 16 sixth graders have volunteered to be Bus Buddies for the Kindergarteners, 1st and 2nd graders who ride our busses each afternoon. Everyday, these 16 students make sure they have all assignments recorded and backpacks packed by 2:50 in order to meet the younger riders and escort them to the proper bus lines. There were many more volunteers than there were spaces available, so we will most likely have a new set of buddies in the 2nd semester. A big "Thank You!" goes out to the following students for their extra efforts this fall to make sure our youngest kiddos are safe. Bus #105- Lindsey Binder, Eric Cha, Matt Nagle and Taryn Hunt Bus #106- Danny Heiserman, Katie Elder, Blake Santoro and Brandon Jordan Bus #129- Zech Lang, Andy Williams, Ainsley Deter and Laura Kollar Bus #250- Mariel Salais, Cayley Chiodo, Katie Stout and Sayda Sifuentes |
The first Student Council meeting for the 2003-04 school year was held on Friday, August 29th. There were approximately 50 students present and that doesn't include a group of 6th graders who could not attend due to an advanced math class. Remember, Student Council is open to any 5th or 6th grade student who is interested in taking part. If you missed the first meeting, that's OK. Just come to the next meeting. At the last meeting students had the opportunity to sign up for one of 4 committees: School Spirit, Community Service, Communications or School Store. They also learned that elections for this year's officers will take place at the next meeting on September 12th. Students interested in running for an office were told to submit a well-written paragraph to Mrs. Brown by Friday, September 5th explaining why they thought they would make a good officer. After speeches are completed, students attending the meeting will have a chance to vote and results will be announced the afternoon of September 12th. Future meetings scheduled so far this fall are as follows:
September 12th- election of officers
September 26th- new officers run their first meeting
October 10th
October 24th
November 7th
November 21st
Students should watch for posted notices on the Student Council board in the pod and listen to news announcements for upcoming events and meetings.
Hi there! My name is Ali Bicknell and I will be working with Rea Kreider in the counseling department here at Shepardson this spring. I am working on a Master's of Education Degree at Colorado State University in School Counseling. When my degree is finished, I plan to be a counselor at the elementary level! I have had lots of experience working with kids of all ages. I have been an overnight camp counselor, a paraprofessional in Special Education, a mentor for the Larimer Center for Mental Health, and currently I am a graduate assistant counselor at CSU's career center.
I am a graduate of the University of Vermont's Human Development and Family Studies program. My interest and love for school guidance was confirmed through a year-long internship experience in the counseling department at Central Elementary School in South Burlington, Vermont. I am very excited to be back in an elementary school and really look forward to working with you! If you have any questions, regarding my experience at Shepardson, please don't hesitate to call me at 494-0378, or contact Rea Kreider at 226-6370.
The major fundraiser for PTO
Packets will be sent home on Friday with detailed information.
For parents who are new to Shepardson, we have found this to be an excellent product. What a great way to support Shepardson and order all the wrapping paper and gift bags you need for that special occasion. Orders are due Sept. 26.
Questions? Contact Jamie Mekelburg at 229-0698, Suzanne Liringis at 222-7903 or Karen Gogela at 226-6729
Did you miss last night's signup for Cub Scouts? It's not too late. We still have room for your child. Come join us as we explore our families, community, and the world. We'd like your child to enjoy the food, fun and laughter of Pinewood Derby. The excitement of launching rockets with a friend. The joy of earning achievements that help the Scout become more aware of the community and the world they live in. For more information call Byron Alcorn at 226-5590.
Next PTO meeting is Tuesday, October 7
7:00 p.m. in the Shepardson Library
All parents are encouraged and welcome to attend!
Shepardson Stars shine a little brighter because of the tremendous support of our community. When you said "YES" to the increased mill levy in 1996 and when you envisioned what could happen in our schools through a bond issue, you expanded the learning opportunities for our students through technology.
Upgrading was the focus of the mill levy money available to Shepardson in July. The thirty-one e-Macs that were purchased for the computer lab made it possible to set up iMac mini-labs in each of the pods and upgrade most of the workstations in the media center. Students have been able to sit down at any workstation in our school and experience minimal "wait" time as they use programs or access information.
As part of the bond issue plan, classroom PCs were deployed in July to each of the teaching stations in the building. For the first time in many years, equity prevailed among all the computers used by staff to keep student records, manage grades, communicate with students, parents and other staff members, and publish teaching materials.
Office computers were upgraded to enable the office staff to work easily with the new District-wide programs, which manage students' records as well as the financial records of Shepardson.
Our building technology plan determines how our mill levy and bond issue monies are used to enhance student learning. We continually ask ourselves what it is we want our students to be able to do through technology and revise our plan each year to meet those goals. Shepardson has high expectations for our students and also for the technology that services them.
Thursday, Sept. 30
7:30 - 8:30 PM
At Shepardson Elementary
For all Shepardson families
Come out and have some family fun. Meet new families and say hello to familiar faces. This is our Back To School Kick Off event, one not to be missed!
If you would like to help serve ice cream, set up or clean up, contact Deb Ramsey, 267-2965 or email debramsey92@hotmail.com, or Erin Brace at 206-9476. We could use some help!
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Back to table of contents | Back to Top | Index to Shepardson Report Newsletters |