Attendance Line Number - 490-3062

September 9, 2005

Shepardson's Home Page: http://schoolweb.psdschools.org/she/

In this issue...

(Table of Contents)   (Top) PRINCIPAL REFLECTIONS

The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina has impacted all of us in some way. Our counselor Rea Kreider and I are looking for a project that will allow our students, your children, to contribute in a personal way to help other children facing such loss. Giving children the chance to understand and empathize is truly a valuable experience. We want them to feel they can indeed make a positive difference in the lives of others.

We know that many families may want to contribute funds to victims through the local Bohemian Foundation which will match any amount you give. You can send funds to school and we will be happy to forward them to this foundation or you may send checks made out to the Community Foundation and mail them yourself.

Community Foundation of Northern Colorado
420 South Howes, Suite 101
Fort Collins, CO 805

224-3462 (Becky Cramer)

This matching offer is only available until September 17th.

The amount of parent involvement in a school is one of the major factors in how well students achieve! We commend our parents for supporting our program in so many ways already this school year. We were especially pleased to have 95% of our parents attend our Back to School Open House (up from last year's 85% attendance.) We thank you for attending the conference with your child's teacher this week. (Please call the office to reschedule if you were unable to attend.) Attending the PTO meeting and/or the Ice Cream Social also this week was indeed an extra effort to become engaged with the Shepardson community! The message to your children by these actions is that school and learning are most important to you. Children will then view us as a team working together to help them achieve their personal best. What a powerful way to help all children reach their potential!

This week we started practicing safety fire and lockdown drills. Teachers have prepared the students for these practices. If you are in the school at this time, we ask that you likewise move to the safest location. It is also a good time for families to plan and review emergency procedures at home. Children develop a strong sense of security when they recognize that adults know how to plan for some emergencies.

This year students in grades 2-6 will be having their annual "level" testing in the fall instead of the spring. These results will be useful to teachers as they plan for reading and math instruction that matches your child's learning needs. The window for this testing is Sept. 14 - 23 with the second grade testing being extended to Nov. 16. This type of testing is different from the state CSAP assessment which is designed to measure standards at a grade level. Instead, levels testing is adjusted to allow a child to respond at his/her performance level. Your child will be able to learn best if you can help him/her get enough rest and have a good breakfast every day.

Have a wonderful weekend with your children!

-	Mary Kay Sommers
	email: msommers@psdschools.org

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CALENDAR

September 09, 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005			SEPTEMBER 2005
15	Thu	SIT 4:00-6:00	23	Fri	Character Education Day
20	Tue	Picture Day-Individual Pictures	27	Tue	5th Grade Music Program - 6:00 pm - gym
21-23	Wed-Fri	ECO Week for 6th Grade	30	Fri	Half day for students - dismissed at 11:15 am

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SHEPARDSON ATTENDS NATIVE AMERICAN ASSEMBLY Last Friday, all of our students in grades 1-6 were able to attend a special performance at McGraw that featured Kevin Locke, of the Lakota nation. He shared his talents and skills related to his cultural heritage including hoop dancing and playing a flute. Even more impressive was his message of how to celebrate each day, how important it is to use our gifts and talents to honor our unique heritages. He demonstrated how each ring that represents individuals when combined with others working together in support and harmony can yield incredible results. A group of our students impressed Kevin with how quickly they learned some of the hoop dancing techniques. Both the students and adults were mesmerized by his messages as well as his talents. Shepardson students were very respectful and attentive guests. What an impressive event for all of us to share!

(Table of Contents)   (Top) SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT TEAM

It is that time of year when we fill our vacant positions. While we were able to fill all of our parent and staff representative positions, we still need one person to serve as our Community/Business representative (a non-parent) and one person to serve as the facilitator of the group. This team focuses on the teaching and learning process at Shepardson and also serves as our accreditation team. Meetings are held on Thursdays and are usually once a month from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Please contact a neighbor who might have time to serve their neighborhood school in this way. If you have an interest, please contact a SIT member or Mary Kay Sommers, principal.

(Table of Contents)   (Top) PSD STUDIES BOUNDARIES, ENROLLMENT

Poudre School District to Address Enrollment and Boundary Challenges

Poudre School District and stakeholder groups have been studying enrollment and boundary challenges for more than a year to consider a variety of options to balance enrollment among schools. "The District and schools face the challenge to balance enrollments between schools during a time of flat or declining enrollment district-wide," says Shannon Bingham, a statewide planner and demographer working with PSD. "Growth in some areas and decline in others has resulted in an uneven distribution of students across schools and the need to balance enrollment district-wide." (Challenges are listed below in more detail.)

Beginning with the Boundary Committee, comprised of parent members from each school, meetingswere held starting in the fall of2004 through the spring of 2005 to discuss options and scenarios for boundary/attendance area changes. In addition, an Enrollment Planning Group met several timesduring the summer of 2005. On August 8, the PSD Administration presented to the Board of Education the following recommendation for a process and timeline to advance these challenges to a solution:

• A Student Enrollment Steering Committee will meet twice a month, August through December/January, to take into consideration the research and recommendations of the Boundary Committee and Enrollment Planning Group. Then, up to 10 public meetings will be held to present scenarios and obtain public input. The Steering Committee will then synthesize the feedback in order to make a recommendation to the Board of Education. The focus at this time will be on elementary schools.

• The Steering Committee will hold an in-depth work session with the Board of Education September 19 to discuss the top 3-5 scenarios for consideration. These scenarios will be a starting point for discussion and with parents at Community Open Houses. It is expected that these scenarios will consider closures, construction and combinations. Possible boundary changes won't occur until these decisions are made.

• Community Open Houses will be held in early October and November to share information with parents and obtain their input (approximately 10 meetings will be planned).

• An additional Board work session will be scheduled on November 21 to update the Board on findings of the Student Enrollment Steering Committee and feedback from the community.

• The Boundary Committee will review scenarios in November and December.

• The Student Enrollment Steering Committee will recommend a plan for the Superintendent to recommend to the Board of Education for final a decision in January.

The tentative timeframe follows:

September 19		Work session with Board of Education (in-depth informationpresented, Q&A)
October 10 - November 15		Community meetings held at up to 10 schools, where major changes are being considered. "Open House" format used for presentation of information and feedback.
November 21		Board of Education work session and presentation of findings of the Student Enrollment Steering Committee and feedback from the community.
November 15 - December 15		Boundary Committee refines boundaries based on preliminary scenarios developed by the Steering Committee, focusing on a preferred scenario.
January 9		First reading of the Steering Committee's and administrative recommendation given to Board of Education, and receive additional public input.
January 23		Second reading and decisions by Board of Education, at Board meeting.

For additional information, contact Ellen Laubhan, PSD Communications Coordinator, at (970) 490-3427. Updates and current information will also be listed on the front page of the PSD website at http://www.psdschools.org/.

(Table of Contents)   (Top) PTO CORNER

Next Meeting: Tuesday, October 4th at 7:00 p.m. (committee work) followed by the 7:15 p.m. Board Meeting in the Shepardson Library. For more information please contact: Jennifer Burkhart @ 225-1873. NEW FACES AND INPUT ARE WELCOME SO PLEASE JOIN US AND LEARN ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AT SHEPARDSON! Ice Cream Social and New Family Welcome It was great to see all the Shepardson faces at the Ice Cream and New Family Welcome event Thursday. We hope you had a good time! SPECIAL THANKS to Dena Hartmann for coordinating this event and for ALL the volunteers who helped organize, set-up, scoop and serve! Thanks! Gold C and VG2 Underway! Thanks for your participation in this important fundraiser! Another big thanks to Jennifer Kelly for organizing this event and to all the volunteers who are and continue to work on this project. Yearbook Committee Members Needed Do you like to take photos? We need a representative for each grade level to help with candid shots for the yearbook. Interested? Please call Marcie Dietrich @ 282-9336. Help Wanted: We still need two more POD Reps for this year. One for 5th and one for 6th grade. If you are interested in helping out, please call me, Jennifer Burkhart, at 225-1873. Thank you for considering to help! Direct Donation For those interested in direct donations to Shepardson PTO, use the certificate below to accompany your donation. Simply fill out, and mail or drop your donation to the front office. Questions? Please call, Jennifer Burkhart @ 225-1873. Shepardson Elementary Certificate of Donation I/We are making this tax deductible donation in lieu of or in addition to participation in other fund raising activities. *Name: __________________________ *Address: ________________________ _________________________________ *Phone: __________________________ Amount Enclosed: __________________ Please send receipt home with my child: Child's Name: _____________________ Teacher: __________________________ *Optional Please make checks payable to: Shepardson PTO Thank you for your support!

(Table of Contents)   (Top) PLACE YOUR AD IN THE SHEPARDSON DIRECTORY

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